Rising of the Shield Hero
by TheRebirth
Summary: He saved the world, but lost his life. Even so, the destiny seems to have others plans for him. "I need to save the world again?" Sure, why not? "You say that the Shielder are the weakest class?" Then you haven't seen a true Shielder in action before. I will show you, just like that girl show me, that a Shielder is not about what can you defeat, but about what can you protect.
1. Summoned

Chapter 01: Summoned.

The world was filled with silence.

No, that was wrong.

The world was filled with nothingness. He was floating in a sea of void and, at the same time, He wasn't.

After all, he, Fujimaru Ritsuka, was something that existed no more.

He could remember it, his last moments alive while running away from the collapsing Throne Room. It was sad, really, he just needed some more meters before reaching the Holy Gate and Rayshifting, but unfortunately the Singularity collapsed before that and that was it, he died.

Dammed King of Mages, if was not for his interruption he could had made it alive...

 _ **"Come..."**_

…?

 _ **"Come... To save the world from the waves of calamity..."**_

A voice was heard from somewhere in that almost infinite void. Ritsuka was not sure from where it came nor how it was possible for him to hear it when 'he' hasn't a body anymore. Even so, 'he' was able to hear it, nonetheless.

 _ **"Come, oh heroes form another world!"**_

Suddenly the 'world' was alight and Fujimaru Ritsuka could 'felt' something reaching for 'him', wrapping itself around 'him'. It was something warm yet cold, sometime that welcome him with happiness and at the same time wanted to throw him away with madness.

That feeling lasted for an eternity, yet it could have been no more than a few minutes, and then Fujimaru Ritsuka was dead no more.

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"Kuh!"

A little groan of pain escaped his mouth when suddenly he hit the ground. The cold of the tiled floor invaded the part of his skin that touched it, making him aware that he could 'feel' things again for some reason.

"Oh! It worked! We did it!"

A voice said, its tone that of excitement. For a second Ritsuka was happy, thinking that DaVinci and the staff from Chaldea had found a way to save him at the last minute, but his happiness became confusion when he raised his head, looking at many unknow men and women in robes watching over him.

"Where am...?"

He muttered, still confused, but soon his survival instincts, those developed through a lot of life or dead situations, kicked in and Ritsuka became quiet while looking his surroundings, trying to understand his situation and determine if he was in danger or not.

"Yuusha-sama! Please, save this world!"

One of the robed men said, his voice sounding like a prayer to a God. This only served to confuse him more, but soon he had to turn around when some more voices were said behind him.

It was them that he met his 'fellow heroes' for the first time.

There were three more guys inside the magic circle where he had landed.

One of them was a little short, with brown hair that looked almost green. He was carrying a Bow in his hand.

The second was about Ritsuka's height, with straight black hair that caused him a little envy with how easy it must be to comb in the mornings. He carried a Sword.

The last one was a little tall, with blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail. The guy was a little handsome, Ritsuka has to admit. Not Gilgamesh or Vlad handsome, of course, but at least more handsome that your average human nonetheless. This one was carrying a Lance.

Having a feeling, Ritsuka looked down to his own arm and surely, a weapon was there, one that surprised him a lot, for many reasons.

It was a Shield. A little one, sure, but a Shield nonetheless.

Ritsuka felt like he was about to cry, not matter that he was surrounded and in a unknow situation. The memories of her kohai, the first person that became his companion and the last one he could see before dying, coming back to him in waves, making Ritsuka feel dizzy and about to give up, but fortunately (or sadly, depends of how you want to see it), one of the others 'heroes' began to talk, asking for an explanation of the situation, so Ritsuka forced himself to put his feelings aside and hear what those people had to say.

It was an almost absurd explanation.

A ritual to summon four people to become Legendary Heroes.

A world in the brink of extinction that need to be saved.

A unrelented and unknow enemy with unclear goals that won't stop until the last living creature cease to exist.

It was almost like hearing about the Grand Order for the first time all over again.

"Please, oh Heroes, grant us your strength."

One of the robed men, the leader at it seems, finished his explanation and them all of them bow their head to the Heroes. Ritsuka could only sight while scratching his head. What to do now?

"Well... I guess we could hear-"

"I refuse."

The Hero of the Sword said in a dry voice, interrupting him. Ritsuka turn his head to watch him with curiosity about his fast answer, but then the other two Heroes spoke too.

"I refuse too."

"Can you return us back to our worlds? If you can then we could talk then."

The Sword guy raised his weapon, aiming it to the leader of the people that summoned them.

"Do you not feel ashamed about kidnapping us like that?"

He accused, looking angry at them. The Bow Hero talked too, sounding offended.

"We are not going to work for free just to go back home, you know?"

The Lance guy was tapping his weapon lightly, his eyes closed and voice firm.

"Did you thought about our opinions before doing this? Based on your answer, we can even become enemies right now."

Ehh~

Ritsuka felt a little amazed about those Heroes attitudes. They not only were able to overcome the shock of being suddenly transported to another world from whatever they were before, they also were able to understand their situation and began to negotiate a reward from their summoners.

Ritsuka began to wonder then, if they were not Heroes of some legend that he had yet to know. Surely, they have the character of one at least.

The leader of the summoners looked a nervous by their response, but was able to respond them anyway.

"F-First, we did like if you could agree to have an audition with the King of Melromarc, I'm sure you could negotiate a good reward with him."

He asked, walking to them but stopping some steps away. The Heroes looked like they didn't like the delayed answer, but acceded to do it in the end.

"Well, talking to a King should not change things, anyway."

The Lance guy said, sounding like he was talking about meeting a guy from the school.

Yeah, they definitely had the character of some Heroes that he had meet before.

Not having anything more to do, he followed them closely, still wondering what he will do from now on.

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The throne room was a splendid place, just like he expected, but Ritsuka felt like it was just a little too splendid. Many gorgeous carpets and curtains, not to say about the paintings and armors that decorated the walls. Even so, he had seen some wonderful treasures and places while fixing the Singularities, and what to say about the armors and weapons of the Heroic Spirit themselves, literally pieces of legends all of them.

That's why his eyes wandered just a little before he focused his full attention in the people in front of him. To the King of this lands.

"So, you are the four legendary heroes, then? I am the King of Melromarc, Aultcry Melromarc XXXII. Introduce yourselves then, Heroes."

He said, his voice full of authority. The Hero of the Sword took a step forward, tapping his weapon against his open hand. It was a very rude gesture, but you could tell for the face of the guy that he knew that but doesn't really care.

"Amaki Ren. 16 years old. High school student."

He said in the same dry voice that before and then stepped back again. Then the Lance guy took the turn.

"I'm Kitamura Motoyasu. 21 years old. I'm a college student."

His voice was almost as confident as the King, the blond guy gripping his lance with ease.

Then, it was the turn for the Bow Hero to introduce itself.

"It's my turn, then. I am Kawasumi Itsuki. 16 years old. I am a high school student, too."

Nodding with satisfaction, the Hero stepped back in line.

'I guess the ball it's on me now.'

Ritsuka though, taking one step forward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Fuji-"

"Hum. Ren, Motoyasu e Itsuki. Those are the Heroes names, then."

"Uh?"

An exclamation of confusion escaped Ritsuka's mouth when the King raised his voice, interrupting his introduction like the rest.

"Ano... King? I think you are forgetting about me..."

He said weakly, thinking that maybe it was just a mistake but not waiting to made the King felt ashamed for it. He knew better than to make a King (or a Pharaoh, for that matter) felt ashamed in front of all his subjects.

"Oh, it's like that? I apologize."

The king said, sounding like he really was making a little mistake. Ritsuka was about to introduce himself to leave that error behind when the Hero of the Bow said.

"Hey, don't just call him 'King', show a little more respect."

"Uh? Should I call him 'his majestic' instead?"

"That's too formal, you know?"

"What should I call him, then?"

Ritsuka asked, looking really confused about the proper way to refer to man sitting in the throne in front of them. The King just cleared his throat, calling the attention to him again.

"King is more than enough."

Ritsuka nodded and then tried again.

"My name is Fujimura Ritsuka. I'm 20 years old. I... umm... You could say that I was working in a security organization before being summoned here."

He explained, trying not to lie but being unable to say the true. Leaving aside the fact that he was still not sure if those people knew about Chaldea and himself, trying to explain what Chaldea was is sometime time consuming and not really necessary right now.

The King waited for him to end his introduction and them began to talk again from where he was interrupted before.

'Did he just ignore me?'

Fujimaru could not help but think in his mind, feeling a little down.

Hearing the explanation from the King, they finally began to really understand why they were called to this world.

Summarizing it:

There was an apocalyptic prophecy in this world, talking about Waves of Destruction that will come and bring calamities to the land. If those Waves are not stopped, they will cause the end of the world.

To fight this evil, each Kingdom had an Hourglass of the Age of the Dragons, an artifact that allows them know the time for when those Waves will come. Sadly, before they were summoned, the First Wave hit the Kingdom, and many people died because of it. The soldiers and the adventurers of the Kingdom were able to repel it, but it's said that the Second and Third Waves will be a lot worse than the First one.

Right now, the remaining time until the Second Wave is just a little more than a month, so time is running short.

"We underestimated the treat that those Waves represented, but witness one of them help us open our eyes. We need the Legendary Heroes to stop them. That's why we summoned you, just like the myths said. ¡There is no more time to waste!"

The King announced, his face looking severe. Ritsuka could not help but feel a little empathetic to their situation.

Extending their hands, praying for help to the Heroes of Legends. How many times did he did just the same? And just like those Heroes reached their hands backs to him, he would do the same to this people.

"We understand. Even so, we hope you don't pretend to make us work for free?"

The Hero of the Sword said, and Ritsuka could not help but try to intevene.

"Hey, Amaki-san, that a little..."

He could not end his phrase due to one of the subjects close to the King began to talk, interrupting him yet again.

"Of course. If you could help us stop those Waves, we will give you all a suitable reward."

He spoke, looking confident. The other Three Heroes looked pleased with this, and Ritsuka could do nothing but kept silent now that they have apparently reached an accord.

"It's decided, then. Oh Heroes, I ask you to check your statistics, please."

"Eh? Statistics?"

Some of the Heroes asked, unable to understand the request. It was the Sword guy who dispelled the confusion of his fellow Heroes, talking with a little disdain in his voice.

"Don't tell me you guys don't noticed it when you woke up in this world? Is not there an Icon in the corner of your vision? Just put all your focus on it and then it will display your statistics to you."

"Really now...?"

Ritsuka murmured and began to search for said Icon. It was a little thing that moved with his eyes if he did not concentrate in it, but when he did, the Icon stopped moving and he could recognize it. It was a simple one, just two hollow and flat silver diamonds that were connected to each other.

'Open Status.'

He thought, joking a little in his mind, but to his surprise a window appeared, displaying a window that he was really familiar with.

It was almost a copy of the menu that DaVinci y Roman arranged in the computers of Chaldea, the ones that showed the statistics of the Servants that he had contracted. It was really nostalgic, to see this menu again, but it was more of a wonder to see the window show him and his statistics instead of one of his Servant. Allowing the nostalgic feeling to run free, Ritsuka eyes wandered through the Menu, taking note of his own parameters and description:

Fujimaru Ritsuka.

Male: 20 Years old

Shield Hero Lv: 1

Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Weapon)

Strength: E

Endurance: A

Agility: D

Magic: B

Luck: E

Noble Phantasm: Locked.

Possessions: Mystic Code – Chaldea

Skills: First Aid 10/10 Instant Enhancement 10/10 Emergency Evade 10/10.

Magic: None

'Ehh~ So I can still use the Mystic Code Skills here. Too bad I just have one, it would be a lot of help to have them all.'

He though absentmindedly, his eyes traveled again to his parameters. For some reason he had this little feeling of dejavu while seeing them, but he was not sure of why. He supposed it was due to having seen so many parameters of his servant that his mind was just comparing them and decided to let it go.

"Even so. Luck E rank. I don't know if Emiya and Cú Chulainn would laugh at me or give me gentle looks and then treat me to something..."

He murmured, thinking that many things in his adventures could be explained if he has that kind of luck.

"Level 1, uh? That's worrisome."

"Yeah, it will be hard to fight like this."

While he was feeling bad for himself, the others Heroes began to talk between themselves, their voice a little worried. The Sword Hero spoke to the King, then.

"Then? What should we do now?"

It was another subject who answered his question.

"You will travel the Kingdom to strengthen and enhance your Legendary Weapons."

"So, we have to level up, then."

"I have this feeling since a while ago, but this is just like a game."

"Oh, are you talking about Emerald Online, right?"

"No, no. I'm talking about this game called..."

Again, the Heroes began to talk between themselves, leaving Ritsuka out of the conversation. That said, the things they were talking right now make no sense for him, so he chose not to complain. It was not that he doesn't know what RPG games and MMORPG games were, but he never had that much time to play them, so he has not anything to add to their conversation.

Even so, he could still feel lonely, just saying.

"Should we form a party, then? The balance of weapons looks more or less fine."

The Bow guy said, looking at his fellow comrades. Ritsuka had the feeling that, when the high school student looked at him and his shield, his eyes seems to discard him form some reason, but that could have been just a misunderstanding of his part.

After all, any party needs a good tank to survive long battles. That was common sense, he believe, game world or not.

"Yeah. It doesn't look bad, but if we just have a healer that will make us almost Unstoppables, I believe."

The Hero of the Lance said and Ritsuka eyes lit up, remembering one of his Mystic Code Skills. A tank that heals was a little weird combination, but it can be used nonetheless.

"About that, why not-"

"Wait a moment please, Heroes."

This time Ritsuka face really showed his annoyance at being interrupted yet again. Even so, the guy that interrupted him continue to talk, apparently unaware of his rude actions towards him.

"I'm sorry to say this, but each of you will have to travel separately from the others."

"Why is that? Will not it be better for all the Heroes to be in the same party?"

Itsuka asked, looking confused like the others Heroes. The man just shook his head a little in response.

"Sadly, the Myths said that each Legendary Weapon repel the others, so if you try to travel together, you will only impede each other grow."

The man explained and the summoned Heroes just nodded, looking thoughtful. That was a huge handicap no doubt.

"What to do, then...?"

Itsuka murmured, but then the King spoke again.

"It's getting late right now. Heroes, it will be better if you all rest for now. Tomorrow we will provide you a group of companions that will help you in your travels."

The kind dismissed them all.

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The four heroes were in one of the two rooms that were lend to them. All of them had agree to discuss the situation that they were in and what will they do from there on.

"So, we are more or less ok with giving them a hand?"

Motoyasu, the oldest of them, was the one who take charge of the discussion and the others Heroes just nodded their head at his question. He then sat down in one of the beds.

"Then we just had to wait for tomorrow and see what team they assign us."

He finalized, taking an apple from the table close to him and giving it a try.

"Oh, not bad. They really are treating us like very important persons here."

"Yeah, the food is really good. It tastes a little weird, but seems like is a luxurious one."

Itsuka agreed, munching on some grapes like fruits. Motoyasu smiled with some mischief.

"And the girl that guide us to our rooms was really cute too."

He laughed a little at that and Ritsuka smiled awkwardly, remembering how Fergus Mac Roich will laugh from time to time while talking about this or that women.

"That said, this really looks like that game, uh?"

Ren murmured while eating a pear like fruit. Motoyasu just waved his free hand a little.

"I told you, this looks like Emerald Online. I'm pretty sure."

"Eh~ really?"

Ritsuka said with curiosity, but Itsuka spoke, sounding a little annoyed.

"I told you. This is more like that console game, Dimension Web. It's a classic."

"Both of you are wrong. This is like Brave Star Online, it's an VRMMO game."

"Eh? Then which it is?"

Ritsuka asked, now really confused. Motoyasu released a small sight and then spoke again.

"Let's back up a little to organize ourselves. Ren, you said you know it from this VRMMO, right?"

The Hero of the Sword just nodded his dead.

"What about you two? How did you know about this place?"

"I'm pretty sure that this is the same as some old Sci-fi game that I played once."

Itsuka said, and then all of the Heroes looked at the Hero of the Shield.

"Emm... I did not know anything of this world before coming here..."

He confessed, scratching his cheek while looking a little ashamed. The others showed some disappointment, but Motoyasu continued nonetheless.

"Then, lets revise some things first. Please try to respond immediately to all that I ask."

The Hero of the Lance then asked some really basic questions from the daily life and they began to answer them. They needed just 4 questions to know what was the cause to their inability to reach a consensus.

"So, every one of us came from Japan, just not the same Japan, uh?"

"I don´t know if I should be amazed that there are that many worlds with a country called Japan or amazed at how similar yet different, they are."

"That there exist so many Japans in another worlds. What are the odds?"

"Everything could make more sense if we were from different times, but the differences are too many to hope for that."

"And in all of those worlds there is a game that is similar to this world. Is not that amazing~?"

Ritsuka commented while watching the way his Shield reflected the light from the candles around them.

"I wonder if there is a game like that too in my world."

He added, his eyes leaving his Shield to look at his fellow Heroes. He then noticed the expression on their faces while looking at him.

Their faces were a mix of annoyance and pity at the same time.

"Eh? What happened? Did I say something wrong?"

He asked, feeling a little too conscious of himself due to all the eyes on him. The three other guys just released a heavy sigh and then Itsuka spoke.

"It's not something bad with you, we were just thinking that this was the reason you were the one that received a Shield."

"Oh, all of you think the same?"

"Yeah. It makes sense."

Itsuka explained, Motoyasu and Ren giving their opinion after that. Ritsuka could not help but glare at his fellow Heroes.

"What is wrong with having a Shield?"

He asked, a little defensive. Motoyasu only smiled, looking smug at having the opportunity to brag his knowledge of his favorite game.

"Well, as the senior, allow me to explain it to you."

Motoyasu said, walking close to him.

"Shielder is the name of the class that carry a Shield, right?"

"That's right..."

Ritsuka answered, not knowing what the name of the class has to do with anything.

"In the game that I know, there is not a single high level Shielder or a famous one."

He said haughtily, looking amused for some reason. Ritsuka could only stare at him in confusion. It was just that? What was the problem, then?

The Shield Hero eyes wandered to Itsuka and Ren, but they just nodded their heads, apparently in agreement whit Motoyasu's words.

"I'm sorry."

"That's how things are in my world, too."

It's really sounded like they were feeling bad for him, but Ritsuka really could not understand why not having a high level Shielder was a bad thing. Of course, he understands that more level was the same as more power, but he personally knew a Shielder that, even when she was just a beginner at being a Servant, she still gave her best day by day, until she rose to became stood her ground against the King of Mages himself.

If level was the problem, he just have to keep struggling until he reach that same heights.

If he does that, maybe, some day, he will be able to meet her again. Ritsuka was not sure if Mash could reach the Throne of Heroes. Her Legend, after all, was something that just a handful of people knows.

Even so, he still prayed that, even if short, the life of her First Servant could resonate with the world and allow her to ascend to her rightful place at the side of all those Heroes.

"It's all right."

Ritsuka said with a smile on his face. Standing up the Hero of the Shield walked to the small balcony that the room has.

"Even if I'm not the strongest, I still will give my all."

He said, looking resolute.

Yes, he was now the Hero of the Shield so it will be a shame to her Servant if he did not apply his best to protect the people around him.

Who knows? Maybe if he kept trying his best, he too could leave his mark in this world and ascend.

And, maybe, just maybe, he could see her smiling face again.

End of chapter 01.

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Ok! New story! And this time it will be all in english! Yay!

...Ereshkigal, please have mercy upon our souls. *Praying*

This time is a crossover between Fate Grand Order and Rising of the Shield Hero. A very interesting Light novel that recently became an anime.

I have the idea for this one since almost a month now, since the end of the seven Singularity: Solomon. In this fic, Mash could not save his loved senpai and he died and got Isekai'ed to this... 'lovely' world.

My mother language is Spanish so I'm sure I will make many mistakes while writing this, even so, I want to practice my writing, so if anyone could point to me those mistakes, I will be more than happy to correct them and learn from it.

I hope can you enjoy this story! See you all next week, maybe!


	2. Companion

Answers to reviews of previous chapter at the end. Also, a little announcement too. If you are interested, you are free to read till the end.

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Chapter 02: Companion.

Fujimaru Ritsuka released a really loud yawn, not minding that he was again in the Throne room. Some people looked at him with displeasure, but he ignored them while trying his best not to fall sleep.

The night before was a metaphorical nightmare for him. Maybe it was due the shock of having being transported so suddenly to a completely different world or maybe it was due to how fast things had developed in such a short time, but his feelings had been a little tuned of since his arrival the day before.

There was the possibility, of course, that he has unconsciously thrown everything to the back of his mind so he doesn't have to deal with the harsh and cruel reality, one that threatened to tear his soul apart once he allowed himself to think about it.

Mash, his first servant, his first and most important friend in Chaldea, was dead. She sacrificed herself to give him a chance, even if it was only a little one, to fight back and live through the final battle. She gave her life for him, and she did it with a smile on her face.

There was simply no way that he could just accept that and move on with his life, more so when that was not the only friend that he lost that day.

There was another person, too, that deserved being remembered and cried over.

Archaman Romani. Also know as Dr. Roman, like he liked to be called. Another one of his friends that sacrificed himself in that desperate battle for the survival of the human race. Some times acting like a mentor, but most of the time being like an unreliable big brother figure. Dr. Roman was someone that acted like a cowardly, indecisive person, but he was able to take the hardest decisions and see them till the end when the situation demanded it.

He, much like his kohai, sacrificed his life and existence just to give Ritsuka chance to end all the madness that Goetia had created.

"Really... Such a foolish human..."

Ritsuka murmured, a little smile forming in his face. Yes, Archaman Romani was a foolish human, but a great friend nonetheless.

And there was all the good friend left behind in Chaldea too, all his family left behind in his own world.

Yes, Fujimaru Ritsuka had lost a lot of precious things that fateful day, things that he may be unable to recover ever again. Even is he had defeated Goetia and saved Humanity, the price to pay was a lot higher than anything he could ever imagine.

It was no surprise then that, once the talk with the other Heroes was over and everyone went back to their room to sleep, once the silence of the night leave him alone with his own thoughts, Fujimaru Ritsuka could no stop himself from crying his heart out, even if he only could do it in silence so as not to interrupt the sleep of his fellow Heroes.

It was a little pathetic, he had to admit, to cry in silence like that when he should be allowing himself to cry his lost with more sincerity, but life hardly gave people a choice in certain matters, and sadly this looked like one of it.

That night was a long one for him, because all kind of feelings flooded his chest, threatening to drown him in sadness and despair.

Fortunately, there was a little ray of hope in that sea of darkness, ironically the one thing that finally opened the floodgates of all those feelings.

He, for some unknown and maybe miraculous reason, have **Lord Camelot** with him.

Ritsuka discovered it by chance, really. The young man was checking his own stats again before going to sleep so he could be ready for the next day, a habit that he had developed after so many months of training and fighting on daily basis. That's when he discovered that the area were his own skills were displayed had a little Icon like a Shield close to the corner, and the phrase "Acquired Shields". Being curious about it, Ritsuka opened this new window to see what it contained.

And then he found it.

The name of the Shield of his Servant was there, next to the name of his own Shield, like it has all the right in the world to be in that place. Of course, Ritsuka immediately tried to call for it, but sadly the shield of the Round Table was 'locked' (whatever that means) and no matter what he tried the shield will not come out.

Even so, it was still more than enough to keep him from giving up hope, because, even if only as a memento, his Servant was still with him even now.

That's why he presented himself in the throne room again, even when he was feeling tired from crying all night, because once again he was feeling the will and need to show this people what a True Shielder is able to accomplish.

*Yawn*

That said, maybe he should take a little nap once he had the chance. He really was feeling a little tired.

"Are you OK, Fujimura-san? Were you unable to sleep, maybe?"

Itsuki asked, looking a little worried, and Ritsuka could only smile a little awkwardly, unable to tell him the reason for his lack of sleep.

"I'm fine, I'm not that much of a morning person, that all."

He said instead and the high school boy just nodded in understanding.

"Even so, try to keep yourself together, Fujimaru-kun. We are about to meet our new teammates so we have to give our best impression.

Motoyasu reprimanded him and Ritsuka shook his head a little and slapped his cheeks to drive away the sleepiness he was feeling.

"I know. Thanks for the advice."

He said and Motoyasu nodded before turning to face the big doors that separated the throne room from the room where they were made to wait until the King called from them.

"You may enter now."

The guard next to the wall finally said, opening the door and allowing them to enter. The first one was Motoyasu, followed by Ren and then Itsuka. The shield Hero chose to go last because he still was trying to tidy up his clothes and hair the best he could.

The four heroes advanced until the middle of the big room, noticing that a lot more of people was there than the day before. Ritsuka noticed that many of them wore clothes and weapons that varied from each other, unlike the royal guards that used the same kind of uniform, so this people had to be the recruits the King prepared to be the companions of the Heroes.

Ritsuka watched them with a little uneasy, wondering who will be his new companion in this adventure. He had nothing specific in mind, so we was mostly OK with whoever was assigned to him, but he hoped that at least there was someone patient enough to explain him some things about this world. Unlike his fellow Heroes, he did not have any previous knowledge about this place that he could try to relate and use to better accomplish his duty of fighting the Waves, so he will have to bother his comrades a lot until he acquired the necessary level of knowledge.

Maybe it was due to this train of thoughts that his eyes rested for little too much time in one particular recruit, a cute girl of red hair whose sharp green eyes made her look like a smart person. The girl seemed to notice him watching her because her eyes turned their focus to him.

And then the girl smiled.

It was a really sweet, cute smile, one that could make any man heart skip a beat with how lovely it make her look.

But Ritsuka could only felt a shiver run trough his spine, moving down to his feet and then going back all the way to his brain. The Shield Hero was not sure why, but this person smile reminded him a lot to some of his Servant, but for the life of his he could not tell which one of them.

Even so, that ignites many warning lights in his head, so he made sure to advert his eyes from her, feeling a little nervous now.

"Welcome back, oh Heroes. Like I promised yesterday, today I had gathered all the people that wished to join the Hero's party and help them to stop the Waves of Calamities. Fortunately, the had already chose which Hero they want to serve."

The King announced and Ritsuka could not help but feel overwhelmed by this.

'We could not choose but had to be chosen?'

He thought with worry. What would he do if that unnerving girl decided to go with him? Will he had to reject her? No, in the first place, there was no guarantee that people will choose him instead of any of the other Heroes. After all, from their attitudes the day before, Ritsuka had the feeling that the King and his subjects did not have a good opinion of him, for whatever reason.

"Now, future champions of our Kingdom! Choose the Hero you want to swear loyalty to!"

The King said and all the recruits began to move, walking to the place where the Heroes stood. Ritsuka swallowed a little of his saliva and choose to close his eyes, leaving to destiny who his new companions will be. He hear the footsteps of the people surrounding them and settling in wherever they had decided. This went for a little less than twenty seconds and then the noise of footsteps stopped, so he opened his eyes little by little, fearing what he was about to see...

"So this is the effect of having E rank Luck, uh? Dammit..."

He could not help but lament, his body losing all the strength and making him fall on his knees, his hands having to support the weight of his body too. Behind his fellow Heroes, all the recruits were arranged in line, showing like this that they had decided who to serve.

Behind him, there was no one, of course.

'Maybe this is a punishment for getting a little to full of myself by thinking I could reject the help of anyone?'

He wondered, feeling like crying for another reason. Nonetheless, in his heart he swore to himself that, if he ever is able to meet Emiya and Cú Chulainn again, he will make sure to be extra gentle with them. After all, if all their lives were plagued of thing like this, he had to make sure to compensate them now that he knew how they felt.

"Umm, this is an unexpected situation..."

The King said, and the rest of his subjects began to murmur between themselves. One of them the man close to where the King was seated, commented.

"It seems like there is a clear difference of popularity between all the Heroes."

He said, not looking nonplussed by what had just happened. Then the man got close to the King, his face moving next to the ear of his sovereign to whisper something to him. The King just nodded, looking convinced.

"I see, so there was a rumor like that."

"A rumor?"

Ritsuka could not help to ask, rising up again.

"Did something happened?"

Motoyasu asked too, looking like he was feeling a little bad for his fellow Hero. The King began to caress his white bear, explaining the situation as tactfully as he could.

"There is a rumor running amount our subjects. It says that the Hero of the Shield know too little about our world. Usually, something like a lack of knowledge should not be something to scorn people for, but our legends says that all the summoned Heroes know about our world and some of his rules, so the people are worried if maybe you are not really one of the Heroes."

"No way..."

Ritsuka murmured, feeling shocked about the king explanation. Motoyasu eyebrows furrowed a little too, looking around a little suspicious.

"They must have heard our conversation last night."

He whispered to the Shield Hero, and Ritsuka slumped a little.

"Then, what should I do now? Will I have to begin my journey without a companion?"

He said with some resignation in his voice.

'Oh, man. Having to travel alone will really suck.'

He thought. It was not just the lack of human contact what he lamented (even if he admitted that it was one of the reasons), but the fact that he will have to be extremely careful to not have to camp at night while traveling. Falling sleep alone in the middle of nowhere could only augur an early death. Not to say anything about getting injured or incapacitated and not having anyone to rely in those situations.

"Well, allowing for one of the Heroes to travel alone is not something that I, as the King, should permit. Even so, I don't want to force anyone to swear his loyalty to someone they did not trust. That could only affect the moral of the group..."

The ruler of the kingdom said, looking like he was unhappy with how things had developed but at the same time like he will not do anything to change it.

It was when Ritsuka was resigning himself to his destiny that a soft voice was raised, one that sounded really kind.

"Hero-sama."

The owner of the voice said, calling the attention of all those present. From between the recruits a woman appeared, it was the same red haired girl that Ritsuka has noted before . The girl was smiling at him, her green eyes looking with encouragement.

"If its all right with Hero-sama, will you allow me to be your companion?"

The woman said, causing the murmurs to began again in the throne room. Ristuka eyes could only watch her with astonishment, unable to believe that at the very end someone was willing to help him. More so, to see that it was the woman that he was discarding in his mind, he could not help but feel that he has doing something very rude to her, misjudging her like that.

"Are you sure?"

Motoytasu asked, looking astonished too. The girl originally had placed herself in the line behind the Hero of the Lance, so this change of mind confused him a little. Even so, the girl just smiled, answering without hesitation

"Yes, I'm sure."

The Lance Hero looked at her a little and then he shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess that's fine, then."

He said, looking at the Shield Hero now.

"Are you not happy, little cry-baby? You got a companion now."

He said, looking smug, and Ritsuka could not help but blush at this.

"Did you hear me?!"

"Just a little. Even so, I can't say I don't understand how you feel so don't let yourself down for it. Hahahaha!"

The lance guy laughed and Ritsuka looked to the floor, his face red at the knowledge that one of his fellow Heroes hear him cry the night before.

"Ejem."

The King cough, calling the attention to him again. All those present focused their eyes on him and the ruler of the kingdom said.

"If there any other people who wants to join the group of the Hero of the Shield?"

He asked, but nobody talked again, so the King just nodded after a little time.

"It's decided, then. I'm sorry, Ritsuka-dono, but you will have to gather more companions during your travels."

"It's all right. I'm happy that even one of them was willing to give me the opportunity."

"Then, its time for you to began your travels, oh Heroes. All of you will receive a monetary support. Due to his disadvantage for the lack of companions, Sheild Hero-dono will be given a little more than the others Heroes. I hope you can understand."

The King said and the others Heroes just waved their hands, letting him know that they had no complaints. Four subjects moved them, each of them carrying a little leather bag in their hands and each of them walking to one of the Heroes.

"Ritsuka-dono will receive 800 silver coins, the rest of the Heroes will receive 600 silver coins."

The man next to the King announced, and then the King continued.

"Keep this money safe and use it to buy equipment and provisions for your travels. I expect great things from you, so do your best to defeat Waves of calamities and protect our kingdom!"

"Yes!"

All of them said, and then the King allowed them to leave.

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"Then, Fujimura-kun. This is where our paths diverge. Make sure to keep her safe, OK?"

The Hero of the Lance said, waving his hand to Ritsuka before walking away to where his companions were waiting for him. Itsuka and Ren waved him goodbye too and then did the same.

"Thanks for all your advice! Please be safe!"

Ritsuka shouted to their retreating forms and they just waved their hands up without turning back.

"Emm... Hero of the Shield-dono. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mein Shopia. It's my honor to be your companion."

His read haired teammate said, smiling politely to him. Ritsuka just smiled back, extending his hand to her.

"My name is Fujimaru Ritsuka. You can call me Ritsuka if you want. It's a pleasure, Mein-san."

Mein took his hand, giving it a little shack, even so, his face looked a little troubled.

"Calling the Hero of the Shield-sama by his name, I could never do something so disrespectful."

"It's all right, really. Even if they call me a Hero, I still am a amateur at this, so don't let it worry you."

"Even so..."

Ritsuka insisted, but the red haired girl looked dubious, so the Shield Hero let it go.

"Well, is OK to call me however you feel comfortable right now."

He allowed and the smile in Mein face returned.

"My, thanks, Hero-sama."

Releasing his hand, the girl looked around a little, before asking.

"What shall we do now, Hero-sama? Do you have any plans in mind?"

Ritsuka nodded his head, one hand coming up to cup his chin and his eyes looking at the sky.

"Well, something like that. First we need to decide where shall we go to train ourselves, so a map of the area surrounding this city will be necessary. Also, depending on how far we will travel, we may need to buy stuff like camping tents, sleeping bags, cookware and cutlery. Maybe we can even prepare some traps to keep monsters away from us when camping, so if we could find something I'm familiar with, that will be really nice. After that we can go for our equipment, I guess. Also..."

"Wa-Wait a minute please, Hero-dono! Can you slow down the list a bit?"

The young man blinked, coming out of his thoughts about supplies and what not and noticing the way Mein eyes were looking at him a little shocked. Ritsuka laughed a little, feeling ashamed of losing himself like that. Mein seemed to recover herself, so she smiled, looking a little impressed.

"My. I did not expected for the Shield Hero to be this knowledgeable about travels. Has Hero-dono traveled a lot before coming to this world?"

"Ah, something like that."

He said, not knowing how to began to explain the kind of experience he has about the subject, not how he was forced to acquire it.

"Eeh~ A mysterious man, I see. I like that kind of people."

Mein said, looking at him with a seductive smile. Again, Ritsuka feel that shiver run through his body, but this time he attached it to being due how that smile reminded him a little of the smile that Da Vinci some times wore when she was trying to tease him: that why he decided not to allow himself to be paranoid around Mein and instead act the same way he did with Da Vinci.

"Well, I guess we should began to look for those supplies. Mein-san, where do you recommend for us to go?"

That's it, ignore her and change the subject to anything else. Mein looked unhappy that her teasing was fouled but allowed the change of topic anyway.

"Umm, I believe I know the perfect places for us to go. Please follow me this way."

She said, walking to mingle with the crowd of people going to what looked like a market street. Risuka followed closely so he doesn't lose her from sight.

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It took them almost half a day to accomplish it, but they could find and buy most of the supplies and necessities required when traveling. Mein gave Ritsuka some advice about this or that and the Shield Hero made sure to try and remember them, knowing that this knowledge could very well save his life in the future. Once the first part of the shopping was done, both of them decided to take a little break and search for a inn where they could store the things they bought and secure a place to stay the night. Then they went to try a accomplish the second part of their shopping trip.

"Here! This is the place that I mentioned."

"Oh~ There are so many weapons here."

Both of them were now in the inside of a weapon shop that Mein recommended. The place was very clean and gave him a certain warm feeling that you could not think a place that sells artifacts of murdering an slaying could give. Ritsuka could not help but look around, feeling amazed, and Mein smiled a little at this, thinking that it was only natural for a man that surely never had wielded a weapon to marvel in a place like this.

Of course, she was totally wrong in her assumption, but she had no way of knowing that.

Ritsuka was amazed, that much was true, but his amazement was due to how similar many of the weapons that the shop had in display were to the weapons that the young ex Master knew from all his travels. They were not all the same, of course, but Ritsuka wondered about the fact that they looked similar nonetheless.

Maybe it was because this way of making swords was the most optimal no matter the world? Or maybe both world were connected in some way and information between them was possible? That last made a lot of sense, he though, otherwise the people that summoned him could have never reached him.

It was not very often, of course, but after having passed so much time with people like Medea, Elena and Paracelsus, the curiosity about the inner workings of certain types of magics began to grow inside him, forcing him to lost himself in thoughts and musings about them.

"Welcome!"

A deep voice pull him out of his thoughts, so Ritsuka turned his attention to the owner of it. A bald man with a rough face showed up from behind the counter of the shop, his sharp eyes watching them firmly yet without a hint of hostility.

"Oh. A new face. You must have a good eyes to come to my place!"

He said, looking at both of them. Ritsuka just shook his head a little, waving his hand a little to Mein's direction.

"Thanks, but it was her who recommended this shop."

"Oh, really? Well, thanks for that, miss."

"It's just because this shop is really famous around here."

She said and the man laughed a little, looking sheepish.

"Really now, miss. You will make me blush. Even so, this boy clothes are something else. It's really well made, but you don't look like a noble, so I suppose if some kind of uniform. Are you perhaps from one of the nearby kingdoms?"

The shop owner said, looking Ritsuka up and down.

"Well, it is a uniform, yes... Umm..."

the Shield Hero said weakly, not knowing is it was OK for him to reveal from where he really came from. It was Mein who resolved his dilemma, talking with a little teasing smile.

"You can't see it, old man? You just have to watch closely"

The shop owner looked confused for a second and then his eyes locked themselves in the Shield still attached to his right hand.

"Oh! So you are one of the rumored Heroes!"

He said, sounding amazed by this, but then his smile turned a little teasing too.

"I see you received the Shield. Well, tough luck, I guess."

Ritsuka just released a long sight at this, guessing that he really had a long way to go before people began to show more respect to the Shielder class. Even so, he suppose this was a good place to start making advances in that goal.

"Come on, old man, you will think that the owner of a weapon shop will knew better than to call a Shield something useless."

Ritsuka said, putting his best yare yare (what a pain), smug face; one that he had stolen straight from Cú Chulainn. The shop owner could not help but stare at him a little shocked for his remark but then he began to laugh loudly.

"You are right, kiddo! It does not matter if a Sword or a Shield, the both of them are all the same when it comes to protect your life. Even so, to think the Hero of the Shield has this much confident in himself. I like it! So? What can I do for you today?"

The old man said with a big grin and Mein was the one who answer him.

"Can you show us some equipment for him, old man? Something around 250 silver coins will be all right."

"Sure! Come with me this way..."

Like that, the shopkeeper began to show them his wares. At Mein insistence, the first thing the owner show them was a display of four swords of different shape and size. Even if both men agreed that a Shield can very well act as a weapon, the girl reasoned that it will not hurt to have a more direct way to attack their enemies, something that Ritsuka could understand. Even Mash began to carry a one handed sword with her at some point near the end of the last singularities, after all, no matter how little she had the chance to use it.

Sadly, that's how they discovered the first demerit of the legendary weapon.

 ** _*Suiissw* *Kachin!*_**

Something akin to a electric discharge occurred in the palm of his hand the moment he touched the sword, the current being strong enough to hurt his hand and force Ritsuka to drop the weapon. At first he thought that maybe the shop owner has showed them a cursed item of some kind, but then a window with a message displayed in it appeared in front of him, allowing Ritsuka to understand the problem.

"What was that? Did you tried to use a skill or something?"

The shopkeeper said, looking confused and a little shocked, but Ritsuka only shook his head, explaining what he just discovered while feeling a little disappointed.

"The Shield just showed me a message, it says that the Heroes can only use their own Legendary Weapon."

"Really now?"

The old man said, taking something from a bag in his hip, a little monocle-like thing, and then using it to watch the Shield closely, inspecting it.

"This small shield looks like an ordinary one, but a great amount of magic seems to gather in the gem right here..."

The shop owner said, looking interested in the shield while trying to understand it better. Ritsuka could scratch the back of his neck a little, looked ashamed.

"I guess I will have to focus completely in protecting my comrades, then. I'm sorry, Mein-san, you will have to deal with the attack for a while until we gain new comrades."

"It's all right, Hero-sama. Even if I may not look like much, I still am one of the best fighters of the kingdom, so I should be able to take care of the attack."

Ritsuka could only smile, feeling grateful of having such a reliable teammate.

"If you can't use a weapon, do you want to try an armor then?"

The old man offered and Ritsuka looked down to his own clothes. His Mystic Code was a very good armor in itself, having a passive minor protection against impacts and cuts besides a weak but useful self-repair magic. Even so, it has little in the way of protecting against magic attacks or heavy damage, so he should have something to use now that he was going to be in the front lines instead of only acting as support to his Servants.

"Sure, but before that, Mein-san, do you have anything you want to purchase? You can upgrade your weapon if you feel the need to."

"Oh, no. This money if for Hero-sama to gear himself, so it should only be used for him."

"It's all right. Think of this as a thank you for all the help you are giving me. Besides, you will be in charge of the attack, so it will be better if you have a good gear too."

Ritsuka offered and the red haired girl looked like she was about to decline again, but then she stopped. Thinking for a little while, a beautiful smile appeared in her face, one that made the shopkeeper blush a little by how lovely it made the girl look.

"Then, I have something that I may like."

She said, her eyes shining with happiness.

Again, for some reason, that shiver went down Ritsuka's back. Frowning a little, the guy began to wonder if maybe he was catching a cold or something.

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"Eehh~ so I was right."

Ritsuka was in the changing room, trying his new armor to make sure they fitted him. It was once that he had removed his Mystic Code and set it aside that the hand were the Legendary Shield was in that moment (the Shield could move to any place around his body, it was so funny!) touched by chance his Chaldea uniform, and the clothes shinned a little and then disappeared. Of course, Ritsuka panicked a little, something that Mein and the shopkeeper seemed to notice, because they asked him what was wrong. Fortunately, he could spare himself from the shame of explaining that his clothes had dissolved in thin air when a new window message showed up.

 ** _\- Armor: Chaldea Mystic Code has been added to the Inventory. Do you want to add this Armor to the Armory of the Shield? -_**

 ** _[Yes/No]_**

The message said. Ritsuka was confused for a second, but then he remembered what the old man said about the Shield having a magic source of some kind in it, one that apparently has an Inventory function that used space magic of some kind. Trying his luck, the young man chose the 'Yes' option in his mind and a new message popped up then.

\- **_Chaldea Mystic Code is being_** ** _assimilated_** ** _! Time remaining: 23 H 59 M 30 S -_**

'Uh, oh...'

He could not help but sweat a little at this, he thought that clinking 'Yes' will only store his clothes in the magic inventory of the shield, instead, it looked like he just use it as a material for something that he has no idea about.

"Cancel! Cancel! Abort! Stop!"

Desperate, Ritsuka began to try to stop the process but the count down did not stopped.

"Hero-sama, is everything all right?"

Mein voice called from the other side of the curtain, a little worry on her voice. Ritsuka just released another big sight.

"I'm fine, don't worry. Just trying some things with the Shield."

He can only said, slowly putting on the new clothes, praying that they fit him or there was going to be an embarrassing moment ahead.

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Fortunately, the clothes fitted him completely and Ritsuka had to acknowledge the ability of the shopkeeper to give him the right size of clothes just by look. Once he and Mein were satisfied about his armor, they moved back to were the weapons were displayed and Mein took a beautiful looking spear that was hanged in one of the walls. It was a standard sized spear, but the wood with which it was made was painted in a elegant green color similar to a new born leaf, and some parts of it were plated with silver lines.

Praising his choice, Ritsuka decided that they now have everything that they needed for their journey, so now they have some free time to spend until they need to go back to the inn were they have booked two separated rooms. Paying for the armor and the lance, both of them said their good byes to the shopkeeper and walked back to the streets of that old city. The Shield Hero suggested for them to tour the city a little, just so he could know where to go in certain cases, like the hospital or so.

Also, he really wanted to see how the people of this city lived their lives.

Rome, France, some towns of America, not to mention Camelot and the old city of Uruk. He had seen so many civilizations, so many ways in that the human race had gather themselves and decided to share the same place in Earth and the same time in their lives. Some times fighting between themselves, some times helping each other. Ritsuka really began to develop a certain sense of wonder and admiration for them. That's why Merlin hobby, even if a little fetishist in his opinion, was not something he could not understand.

That's why he really wanted to see what the human race of this world, of this time and place, was like.

Sadly, Mein had other things prepared for the rest of the day.

"Training, uh?"

Ritsuka repeated Mein suggestion while munching on a skewer grilled meat that he just purchased as a snack. The thing had not that much of a flavor, but still was good to eat.

"Yes. The monster around the city are really weak, so much that even a novice adventurer can deal with them as long as he doesn't allow them to catch him unprepared. That's why I believe they will be a good training for Hero-sama before our real journey began."

That make a lot of sense, Ritsuka agreed to Mein suggestion.

And that's how his embarrassment began.

Just like the girl said, the monsters were very weak. So weak that, even when their attacks landed, he took no damage at all. Sadly, the same was almost true for him. No matter how many time he punch them, kicked them and hit them with his shield, the little monsters with the shape of tomatoes simply did not die. He was about to believe that he really was giving them 0 damage when, after a hour or so of 'fighting' them, one of the monsters body exploded and a window with a message popped up, showing him that he had gained EXP point for killing the thing.

 _ **\- 1 EXP POINT GAINED -**_

"You have to be kidding me..."

He said, breathing a little hard after the exhaustive and ultimately pointless exercise.

 _ ***POP***_

Ritsuka raised his head when the sound of another of the balloon monsters exploding was heard near him. There, surrounded by the remains of the enemy, Mein was standing with her new lance. The girl was giving him a little smile and his eyes looked a little playful.

Knowing that the girl was mocking him now, Ritsuka just let himself drop to the ground, his back touching the soft grass that covered the area surrounding the city.

It was not fair, really. Even Mash could damage their enemies when she just became a Demi-Servant. The handicap he had right now was a little too big.

"It's all right, Hero-sama. The Shield is not a weapon, after all."

Mein said, crouching near him to watch him from closely. Ritsuka could not help but felt a little ashamed that, despite his best effort, right now he could not retort to that like before.

No matter, he still was going to do his very best to show that the Shielder class was just as good as any other!

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'So... Why things ended like this, then?'

Rtisuka wondered, his hands tied behind his back and a lot of guards surrounding him; their weapons all pointed at his body and looking a little too eager to being put to use.

End of the chapter 02.

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It's alive!

I'm sorry for the big delay, but I'm just a foolish human which mind just keep telling him to do random stuff and then got squashed while being unable to divide my time between all of them. So, first of all, my apologies for all those that were waiting for this chapter!

But, some good news! I have arranged my schedule and finally appointed a time of release for this fic, the days being Monday - Tuesday night each week. This fic was released today Sunday as the chapter of last week, so tomorrow or maybe the day after, I will be posting the next chapter. If you are still interested in this story be sure to check again those days!

 **For those that maybe came from the Fic of Seto no Hanayome:** I know that I say that I will reveal the project I have been working this two weeks, and asked people to check this chapter to know about it, but sadly a little something happened and so I have to delay the announcement till the next chapter of this fic. (Yay! more delays! I should change my nickname to TheDelay of something). If you came here for that, I'm really sorry! But next chapter for sure, so please stay tuned!

Now, to answer the reviews:

 **OgamiRei-kun:** Thanks for the review! I have dropped more than enough hints in this chapter so it's not so much of a spoiler right now. That said, there are still some things that have to happen before he is able to use it, so you will have to wait for it!

 **Have a Little Feith:** Thanks for pointing out my mistakes! I will try to correct them when I have a little free time, and I did a double check in this chapter. Even so, I'm pretty sure there will be more mistakes, so if you could point then again, I will be more than grateful to check them later.

And about the king name, being honest, I did not remember what his name was, so I just opened Youtube, searched for the scene of the anime were the Heroes meet him and just took the name from there (lol lazy me... ORZ). That say, I will try to make sure the names are the correct ones from here on, even if they are minor/useless characters like the trash king.

Thanks for your review!

 **Terumi Gremory:** Thanks for your review! Like I said in the review above, Ritsuka will have Mash skills and his NP, but there will be some differences in the way he can use them, so I hope you like what I have planned for it.

And the next chapter is the betrayal! What will happen, I wonder?

 **isoulmani:** Yeah, I'm having so much fun writing this fic. Not only it give me a reason to watch again the anime, manga and Web Novel (I could not get my hands on the Light Novel, sadly) of Rising of the Bro Hero, but I also found that writing Ritsuka while trying to imagine how he should react in this and that situation is unexpectedly fun to do.

Thanks for your review!

 **rst64tlc:** I will keep your advice in mind and don't worry, I will try not to nerf him just for plots sake either. Even so, what's coming next is a very important point for the story itself because it's what separate the other Heroes from the Hero of the Shield, so I really tried my best to make it look as natural as possible; with Ritsuka feeling suspicious and his instincts sending warnings all the time yet he still allowed himself to be betrayed. Because, we like it or not, for all his experience Ritsuka can be a little naive some times, and he loves to believe that even the 'evil' people could have a kind heart inside them. (Jeanne Alter, Edmont Dantes, etc.).

I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for the review!

 **Gallerian:** As much as I did like for Ritsuka to Summon, say, Cu Alter or Heracles to stomp his way trough the Waves, Heroics Spirits are just too OP for this fic. That said, a FGO fic without them will just be not funny, so I have something in mind to solve that.

I hope you can wait for it! Thanks for your review!

 **LightStarAngelical:** He estado ocupando mi tiempo libre con un pequeño proyecto mio, pero por fortuna ya casi esta terminado, asi que me pensare seriamente el si me puedo permitir el tiempo para lanzar este fic en Español e Ingles al mismo tiempo. No prometo nada pero aún asi se positivo/a al respecto!

Gracias por el review!

 **duskrider:** The answer is 'No, he still far for it!'

Like I just mentioned some reviews above, the betrayal of his companion is a really important point for the story of ROTSH, and for this fic it will have many repercussions too, so it have to occur. That said, from here things will began to wander from the original plot. Ritsuka is not Naofumi, after all.

Thanks for your review!

 **BlueXtreme:** You are correct, Ritsuka mentality is completely different form Naofumi (Not to say that Naofumi was inferior to him, just that he was much less experienced due to him being just an average young man), so expect many things to change from how the original story goes.

Thanks for your review!

 **Dp11:** Thanks for your review! And yeah, Even if right now he will look a little like a punching bag due to him still trying to adapt to this new world, very soon he will show why he is the Grand Master that went Gurren Laggan against Goetia to save humanity. Wait and hope, my friend!

 **sagitarius:** Thanks for your review!

I really like when someone takes their time to analyze one of my stories, because that helps me lots too know the things I can do better and the way people think of my works. Just like you expect, Ritsuka will deal with the betrayal better than Naofumi, but for now I will keep silent because that for the next chapter to be shown.

About he thinking of them as actual Heroes, I believe that's more a problem in the way I write it. My intention was for Ritsuka to think they were a group of mostly unknown Heroes with too little presence due to how unknown they were, and soon after for him to realize that they were just humans like him. But I now know that I could not transmit that in the right way. Hell if I know my phrases can be awkward most of the time, but I still keep trying nonetheless (lol).

And that's why I'm trying to decide if I should take your offer of being my beta tester.

Is no so much that I don't want to trust you to help me but the fact that I'm a little worried about how much time it will take for each chapter to release. I mean, just now it takes me around two to three weeks to put a chapter together (even if I will try from now on to release a chapter each week). If after that I send it to another person and then that person send it back to me to remake the wrong parts, taking a time that I could use to advance this or other one of my projects.

TL/DR: I'm not sure if my fic really need that much effort right now, sorry. *ashamed face*.

I'm really grateful that you made the offer, tho!

That said, I hope you can at least find this story interesting enough to continue reading it, even with all the mistakes no doubt I will keep doing.

 **Zennishi:** As funny as it will be seeing that, FGO Heroes are just too OP for this world at this point of the story, so for now there will be not Heroic Spirits. Even so, I have some ideas that will be shown in two to three chapters from here, so wait to see them!

Thanks for the review!

 **FGO:** As I said before, there will be not summoned Heroic Spirit, but there will be something at the same time. Just wait and keep hope!

Thanks for the review!

 **MangoPeanutSituation:** Mash good Shielder, best kohai. Stay tuned to give Shielders more love!

Thanks for your review!

I believe that's all for now. Next chapter will be soon, with a surprise included that you may or may not like, but it will be there nonetheless.

Till next time!


	3. Betrayal and alone

Ok, before the chapter began, please allow me to do a quick announcement.

Well, two of them, really.

 **First one:**

I just finished my first **Video Game**!

Yay for me!

ORZ... Finally, after so much suffering...

The name is **ARPGIA: Reborn** and is in format **RPG Maker**. Its a mix between a **Gacha** style game and a **Dungeon Crawler**. It was born after an almost rage quit I suffered when not only Ishtar and Quetzalcoatl never answered my call in FGO, but Helena spooked me in the banner of Merlin. (And just this week I lost my chance to get Heroine X Alter ORZ... The suffering of us F2P players knows no end).

That's why I decided to do my own Gacha game, fully free to play and with all possible Summons (In this game called Elementals) available to collect.

Right now is in the version 1.0 and had only 17 Elementals available to summon, but you can farm a little, craft stuff and some more. I hope to release an update in the next two to three months, also.

I hope...

Anyway, if you are interested and want to give it a chance, you can go to my web page:

projectodisfantasy dot wordpress dot com

Or visit my ptreon page where I just posted the link:

ptreon dot com slash disfantasyproject

The download link is in mega, so is free of Ad and virus.

I think...

Well, if you decide to give it a chance, please let me now what is your opinion of it. It will be my pleasure to see what I can do to improve it. You can leave you comments in my web page or my P treon page and I will make sure to read them.

 **Now, second announcement:**

I just made a **fanfiction forum**!

But right now its only purpose will be to give my answer to the reviews you handsome people give to this fic. This is due to the advise that I received to put the answer in another place so the world count of the fic doesn't rise too much and confuse the readers. So, since right now, all my answer will be posted there:

myforums/TheRebirth/6682642/

Feel free to visit it if you want to see what I have to say *Smiling Face*

And that's all! I really hope you can give a chance to my game and that the forum become a good move for my fics.

 **Let the fic began!**

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XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Chapter 03: Betrayal and alone.

The place was, once again, the throne room of the imperial castle. Many people had gathered there, even more than when they were summoned or when they were assigned their teammates. Some of the people were standing close to the walls of the room while others were watching all that happened from the balcony of the second floor. The King was there, of course, and the others Heroes too.

And, for some reason, Mein was with them, standing close to the Hero of the Lance.

The eyes of all that people were focused in Ritsuka, all looking at him full of disgust.

'Emm... What is happening?'

The Shield Hero could not help but ask in his mind, looking confused and a little nervous too. He was in the middle of the room, forced to kneel and with his hand tied behind his back. There were a lot of guards pointing their weapons to him, most likely ready to cut him down if he tried to escape. Ritsuka was a little scared, he had to admit. Not so much for the hostility directed towards him nor because the threat to his life, but due the unnerving feeling he had that things were about to go wrong very fast.

"Eto... Umm... Can someone tell me what is happening right now?"

He asked, trying hard to think about what mistake of him could had make things developed like this. The day before everything looked fine, and aside from the fact that he had to turn down Mein invitation to drink after they dinned together, the night ended in a good note. He even had a nice, regular dream about him eating a delicious cake that Emiya and Tamamo prepared together for him.

Then, when he was in the middle of savoring such a sweet dessert, a loud sound woke him up. It was the sound of the door of his room being hit, trying to force it open.

Old instincts kicked in fast, making him stand up, turn his bed to its side so most of its surface faced against the door, and prepare his shield, waiting for whoever the enemy was to enter.

To his surprise, the ones forcing their way in were non others that the royal guards. They looked around until they found him, half body hidden behind the turned bed, and then surrounded him, saying that he was under arrest and that the King wanted for him to be taken to the imperial castle at once.

Ritsuka debated over if he should let himself be taken or if he should try and fight to escape, but ultimately decided that without knowing what the charges were against him, it should be better not to make the situation worse.

And that how he was there right now, accused for something that he had no idea what it was.

"Mein-san, can you tell me what's wrong? Did I made a mistake or something?"

Ritsuka tried again when none of the gathered people seemed like they will answer his question. He hopped that his so far helpful teammate will be able to at least enlighten him a little.

But, to his surprise, Mein did not answered; instead, the woman hid herself behind the Lance guy's back, looking frightened. That, of course, only helped to confused him more.

"Mein-san? What's wrong?"

He asked in concern, wondering why the girl looked so scared, but the Hero of the Lance talked in her place, looking at him like he was watching something really filthy.

"Do not talk to her, you fiend!"

Motoyasu said, his voice sounding like he was really angry at him.

"Eh? Eh? Whats happening?"

"Silence!"

The King roared and the room fall quiet in a second. Then, with a voice that tried to sound as kind as possible, the ruler of the Kingdom talked again.

"I'm sorry, adventurer Mein. Can you tell us again what happened?"

"Yes..."

The voice of the woman was a little strained, like she was about to cry at any second and was only her wiliness to answer the King request that stopped her from doing it.

For a moment, Ritsuka was concerned about her, wondering what could happened to make her feel like that.

And then all that concern became disbelieve when the girl began to talk.

"Last night, the Hero of the Shield drank a lot, and when I tried to help him reach his room to sleep, he... he pushed me down!"

The girl voice cracked and her hands reached for the back of the Lance Hero, holding tight on his clothes, apparently searching for its protection. Ritsuka can only watch this with his eyes big in shock, but the woman was not done yet, and she continue to say in a thin voice.

"He said we should have a little fun together and then ripped my clothes..."

A big noise was hear in the throne room, the voices of all those present at that moment raised with indignation and rage.

"I fought back and was able to escape from him and reach the room of the Hero of the Lance, who fortunately was staying in the same inn..."

"If Mein has not stopped me because of how afraid she was, I would have split you in half at that moment."

Motoyasu said, his voice tight with anger. It was thanks that his voice forced Ritsuka to focus on the Lance guy that he was able to notice it.

For some reason, the Hero of the Lance has an armor that looked dangerously similar to the one they brought the day before before. The only thing that was different were the under clothes, something understandable considering that Ritsuka was wearing them in that moment.

Now, Ritsuka could be a little naive and had an habit of trusting people a little too fast, but he was not an idiot. For better or worse he had experienced too many betrayals and deceptions in his quest to save humanity to not recognize one so obviously done.

"OK, I call shenanigans."

He said simply and Motoyasu body tensed up.

"What do you say?!"

The Lance Hero looked like he was about to explode due to Ritsuka remark, but the Shield Hero had calmed enough to not care about it.

"First of all, I don't have any reason to try and attack the only person that offered to help me. Leaving aside all moral implications, that will serve me no purpose aside from alienate the only person in my party that can really deal damage to the enemies-"

"Silence! I had not give you any permit to speak, you corrupted Hero!"

The King roared again, interrupting his attempt to defend himself. Ritsuka eyes narrowed at this, noticing the way the ruler looked angry, yes, but also a little too eager to stop him from talking back.

'I see, so the King is in this too.'

The Shield Hero though, cursing inwardly at this. If Mein had the support of the King for this little ruse, then it will be harder for him to probe himself innocent. Rtisuka looked around with suspicion, noticing how some people adverted their eyes a little nervous now.

'Now, just how many of them are involved too. And why? What purpose will serve them to have one of the Heroes, the people they called to protect them, to be accused of a crime?'

That was something that confused him more than anger him. What reason did they have for this? He was aware that the Hero of the Shield was not very popular among the populace of this kingdom, but this was more in the realm of being hateful than simple dislike for him. Even worse, if it was for his role of protecting the people, the Hero of the Shield should be one of the most valued. Hindering him like this was close to punching a police officer for having arrested a man that a moment before was trying to kill you.

In other words, a complete stupidity in his opinion.

"Then, oh King, I ask for you to grant me permission. Otherwise, I will be unable to prove my innocence. I admit that I mostly unaware of the custom of this world, but I want to believe that you grant the opportunity for the accused to defend himself, at least?"

"I said silence, you villain!"

The King repeated, now looking really mad for being talked back like this. One of the guards used the pommel of his sword and hit him in the back of his neck. Ritsuka could only grunt in pain, doing his best not to fall unconscious from the hit. This was not the first time the guards had hit him since he was arrested, and Ritsuka was sure that, if not for the presence of so many people right now, he would have added two or three more hits to his attack.

"Wait a moment please, King."

Ren, the Hero of the sword, was the one who talked now. At the beginning the black haired guy was looking at him with obvious distaste, but now he seemed a little worried about something.

"What's the matter, Ren-dono?"

The voice of the king sounded neutral now that he was talking to the other Hero, whatever scorn he had for the Shield Hero apparently was not directed to any other of the summoned people. Ren looked at the King directly and then began to speak with clear voice.

"While I also feel that the actions of the Shield Hero are something unforgivable, I believe that he should have at least right to prove his innocent."

Ritsuka could not help but smile a little, feeling grateful that one of his fellow Heroes has come to his help. Motoyasu, on the other hand, looked angry at this.

"What are you saying, Ren?! This guy tried to take advantage of an innocent girl! Why we should listen to the excuses of a scum like him?! Or are you trying to say that Mein is lying in some way?!"

For some reason, Motoyasu seemed like he really was taken offense by the suggestion that the scared and crying woman that had come to him in the middle of the night to beg for his protection could be a liar. Ren just shook his head a little, looking all cool and collected.

"I'm just saying that it could be a mistake or a misunderstanding. I'm not saying that she is lying, but it could be that someone else tried to attack her and she mistake the person for Ritsuka. She had been drinking too, after all."

Motoyasu body was tense, but Ren explanation was too logic and clear that he could not rebuke it, so the Lance Hero looked back at Mein. The girl was looking down, her eyes hidden under the bang of her hair and her body trembling, no doubt due to the trauma that all this must be causing her, Motoyasu tough.

"I'm really sorry to ask this, Mein, but are you really sure that it was the Hero of the Shield who tried to attack you?"

The Lance Hero asked in a soft voice, walking close to the girl. Mein hands reached for his chest, placing themselves delicately over the Lance Hero heart.

"Did Motoyasu-sama does not believe me too?"

The red haired girl said, a line of tears running down from her eyes and falling like little crystal drops.

"Of course I believe you! I told you before, Mein, that no matter what happened I will be your ally!"

The Lance Hero exclaimed, embracing the girl close to him.

'Wuaaah...'

In his mind, Ritsuka could not help but feel amazement at the perfect acting skill this woman had. Even him, the guy being falsely accused, could not help but wonder if maybe there really was a mistake and she really was attacked by a unknown person. Ren looked like he was torn between believing or not believing and Itsuka was just watching all this, obviously already brought to Mein side.

"If evidence is what you are asking for, then I believe our guards have found something that can help you make your decision."

The King said and soon one of the guard showed a undergarment. It was a purple, almost see trough camisole, one that Ritsuka had see one or two times being wore by his female Servants, but never in this world and much less in Mein's body.

"We checked the room of the inn where the Shield Hero was staying and there we found this on top of his bed, my King."

The guard said, looking ashamed for having to show this to so many people. Mein released a little cry that was both shame and sorrow and hid her face in Motoyasu chest. Motoyasu hugged the girl tightly and looked at Ritsuka like he really wanted to kill him now.

"You found that ON TOP of my bed, you say. Are you sure?"

Ritsuka asked, risking being hit again but reaching for the opportunity presented to him nonetheless.

"Yes. It was close to the pillow. We deduced that you sleep while embracing it or something."

The guard accused, looking at him like filth, but Ritsuka just smiled at this.

"Really? That's weird, because I flipped my bed to the side when I heard people trying to force their way to my room first thing in the morning; and then the bed fell upside down when the guards stormed in to arrest me. I'm not sure how my pillow or anything at all could still be ON TOP of my bed, then."

"That's..."

The guard looked shocked for a second and then composed himself, speaking again.

"I mean to say that we found it next to the bed."

He corrected himself and Ritsuka smile grow.

"What it is now? What is on my bed or not?"

"You..!"

The guard looked ready to hit him again but the King roared again.

"Be quiet! No matter the place, the fact is that this was inside your room! This is the proof that your companion was unmistakably there. That means you were the only one who could have attacked her last night."

Ritsuka eyes narrowed at this obvious attempt to change the subject and distract the attention to the glaring mistakes that were popping one after another. Ren narrowed his eyes too, looking at the King, then at the people around himself and finally at Mein. He seemed to reach a conclusion at that moment and nodded his head.

"I guess there really are proof of his guilt, then. I'm sorry for having doubt you."

He said, stepping back and crossing his arms in front of him while closing his eyes.

"No way!"

Ritsuka exclaimed, watching how the only ally he had just decided to leave him to face his fate alone. The people watching from the sides began to murmur again and Ritsuka looked around, trying to find some way to defend himself. His eyes landed in Itsuka, but the guy just shook his head while looking annoyed at him. Ren just kept his eyes closed, apparently decided not to interfere any more and Motoyasu just keep his angry face that he had from the very beginning.

When Ritsuka eyes traveled down a little more, he was able to look at Mein face and then his heart sank a little.

The girl was not crying anymore, in fact, she looked all too happy to be in the arms of the Lance Hero. Mein noticed that Ritsuka was watching her and, knowing that her face was hidden by the Lance Hero body, she smiled at him while showing her tongue a little.

It was a small gesture, one that made her look like a young, innocent girl praying a little prank. But it also reminded Ritsuka of something else.

No, it was better to say that it reminded him of SOMEONE else.

'SO IT WAS QUEEN MEDB!'

He could not help but scream inside his heart, feeling all too stupid for not noticing it sooner. All the hints were there, after all. Her sweet attitude, her way of talking, her gestures. All of them reminded him dangerously of how the Queen of Connacht would act to seduce and snare her preys, her pigs as she love to call them, to do her bidding. The worse of all was that his body had been constantly sending him warning signals and he chose to ignore them just because he was a little happy that someone has decided to became his companion.

'I have been had...'

He cried inwardly while allowing his body to slump a little. If this girl was even a little the cunning woman that Queen Medb was, then he had no way out of this now that he was so deep in the hole; not when she had the aid of the King of all people.

As if proving his fears true, the ruler of the kingdom spoke again.

"Now that you have been proved guilty, I did like for you to be imprisoned for your crimes. Sadly, with the next Wave of Calamities coming so close I cannot afford to lose the strength of even one of the Heroes, no matter how nefarious his crimes are."

The King declared, looking all to serious now. Motoyasu eyes light up at the thought that Ritsuka will be left unpunished.

"No way, King! Then, why not send this guy back and summon another one? One that is not a human scum?"

He suggested, but the King just massaged his temple with his fingers.

"As much as I did like to do just that, the summoning ritual does not work that easily. All the previous Heroes have to be send back together to their worlds for a new set of Heroes to be called. Another way is for all of the actual Heroes to die, but that its just the worse case scenery."

"Something like that..."

Itsuka spoke for the first time, looking a little worried that he will have to die or be killed for the next generations of Heroes to be called. The King regarded his solemn appearance, saying then.

"Even so, we could not left this crime unpunished. That's why I have decided that the Shield Hero shall only receive the minimum amount of help from this kingdom from now on and for his crime to be made public for all the citizens to know. Of course, the adventurer Mein will be left in the care of the Hero of the Lance from today onward."

Was the sentence dictated over him and Ritsuka could not help but release a big, suffered sigh.

This was just the worse.

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"I could not believe things ended like this."

Itsuka said, scratching his head a little in resigned annoyance. Motoyasu just shook his head, still angry but deciding that there was nothing more to do now that the sentence was decided.

"I knew that the guy was weird, but never expected for him to be like this."

He said his opinion. Right now only the Hero of the Lance, Bow and Sword were present. Mein was left in charge of some maids to help her prepare the things she will need to become Motoyasu companion and to help her relax a little after all this traumatic incident.

Even so, thinking about it still pissed the Lance Hero a lot.

"Hey, Ren! What was all that about before?!"

He asked, trying to understand why the Sword Hero has come to help that villain. Ren was standing next to the walk, arms crossed and eyes closed. The dark haired guy just opened one eye before answering.

"Nothing important. I just believe that the guy deserved a chance to prove himself innocent. That's a basic law in my world. Maybe is different in yours?"

He said simply and Motoyasu voice lose some of his heat.

"Of course not. In my world the law said that everyone is innocent unless they are proven guilty."

The Lance Hero admitted, looking a little ashamed of how his question sounded like he was accusing Ren of something.

"There you have it. Once he was proved guilty, I decided to step back."

Ren explained and Motoyasu nodded, looking satisfied. Then he noticed that the Sword Hero was still looking at him.

"It's something the matter?"

He asked, a little confused, and Ren just closed his eye again.

"Nothing. I was just wondering when you bought that chain mail coat. I can't remember if you mentioned it yesterday when we crossed ways near the market's street."

"Oh, this coat? Mein gave it to me as a gift after I saved her from that Shield bastard. I refuse at the beginning. I did not wanted to take something from her for something that I was doing just because it was the right thing to do, but she insisted so I finally accepted it."

The Lance Hero said, looking at his reflection in a near mirror.

"It's a little tight, but I think is a good armor nonetheless."

He finished, sitting next to a table with snacks on top of it.

"I see. That's good, then."

Ren just kept quiet after saying that and Motoyasu began to talk to Itsuka about the plans of the Bow Hero for training.

'So it was really like that...'

The Sword Hero thought, feeling really annoyed at that moment. He knew that the Shield Hero was falsely accused, of course. It was really obvious for anyone that have half a brain, something that sadly his other two fellow Heroes seemed to be lacking.

The problem was that he could not see the reasons behind that false accusation. It was only so Mein can join Motoyasu party? Then she should have done that from the very beginning, in fact, she was already there before she decided to change groups by herself.

And whatever reason that woman had, why has the King helped her to do it? Ren was well aware that the Shield class was useless, of that he had no doubt. That said, why the ruler of the kingdom will go out of his way to help the scheme of a simple adventurer?

Obviously, because in doing so he will accomplish his own goals. But what were those goals? Why was necessary for the Shield Hero to be framed as a criminal for it?

And it was just necessary for the Shield Hero to be accused? Or any other of the Heroes could do all the same?

Will they be betrayed too in the future if the people of this kingdom thinks its necessary to archive their own goals?

Yes, Ren had many thing to worry in that moment, but sadly there was no way to get any kind of answer to his worries, so he did the only thing he could do now.

Wait and see.

He will allow the kingdom do whatever they want with the Shield Hero, observe the way they acted and moved around him and learn the cues that may indicate a betrayal to himself. He feel a little bad for his fellow Hero, but right now he could not spare the sympathy to help the guy, not if in doing so he became the next target for the kingdom.

Of course, he not only will have to be wary of his own companions now, but also of his fellow Heroes.

'Tsk. I guess it was just too good to be true.'

Cursing at his back luck, the Hero of the Sword began to plan what he would do from now on.

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Ritsuka was walking down the market's streets while feeling really heavy. Around him, the people gave him looks of fear and distaste, so he supposed the King was not lying when he said that his 'crimes' will be know by all the people of the kingdom.

Being honest, Rtisuka was not sure what to do. No matter if he tried to defend himself and tell them they were wrong, people will not believe a word he said. Being hated by his fellow humans was not something new to him, the same went for being falsely accused, but it still suck nonetheless.

"Hey, the guy of the Shield."

An angry voice said, one that Ritsuka recognized. Sure, when he turned around, the old man from the weapon store was there, watching him with scorn. The guy walked to him with big strides and then his hand gripped hard Ritsuka's all too thin undergarments that now doubled as his shirt.

"To think that you would do that to the Missy from yesterday. Have you no shame?! I'm sorry, but I need to hit you at least once or I could not calm otherwise."

The old man voice was tight, showing that he really was doing all he can not to hit him at that moment.

This time, Ritsuka could not help but feel really hurt inside. It was one thing to see the hate and scorn in the eyes of the unknown people of the town, but the Shield Hero had really taken a like to the shop owner upfront attitude and had began to see him as a friend in his mind.

"...So you also believe that I did it, uh?"

Ritsuka could only murmur with a tint of sadness in his voice, resigned to let the old man hit him until he was satisfied. To his surprise, the shopkeeper eyes just opened a little more and he seemed to froze for a moment, like he just was pulled out of whatever rage fit he was in. The Old man eyes scanned Ritsuka eyes and then he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"I see..."

He said, releasing Ritsuka of the grip. The Shield Hero was a little confused by this change of attitude but the man just reached for the bag in his hip and pulled out a mantle.

No, looking it better it was a green cloak.

"Take this, no one will take you seriously otherwise."

The man said, throwing the cloak to him. Ritsuka grabbed it out of reflex, and then looked at the old man with shock.

"It's all right, I was planning to make it scraps and use it to clean my weapons, so don't think to much of it."

Understanding what was happening, the eyes of Ritsuka began to moist at the corners and his face began to crumble.

"Old man..."

He said with his voice full of emotion. The shopkeeper just turned around, looking a little ashamed for being watched with so much gratitude by the young man.

"It's nothing, I tell you. If you still feel indebted to me, just pay me 5 copper coins and that will be all."

Saying that, the man began to walk away with a quick steps. Ritsuka used the back of his arm to wipe the tear off of his face, a full smile showing now.

"Thank you, old man! I will make sure to pay you for it!"

He screamed, his hand waving in the air.

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The time was around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Without a clock it was hard to tell aside from the position of the sun in the sky. Ritsuka was outside the city, in the grassland surrounding it. Aside from the show of kindness of the shopkeeper (now friendly dubbed in his mind as the old man), the rest of the people treated him like he was the worse thing the human race has the disgrace to know.

Oh, if only they knew.

That said, this mean that all the things in his room were taken away. Provisions, cookware and of course the little money he still have left. So right now he was pretty much dirty poor with only his clothes and his Shield as his belongings.

"So, betrayed, robbed and defamed, all in one day... Should I become Ritsuka Alter now?!"

He said, striking a pose with his hand covering half of his face and his other arm extended to the side.

"Just kidding. Besides, laughing loudly like that is really bad for my throat, no matter how therapeutic it can be."

He remembered the time he tried to imitate Jeanne Alter and the Count for a day but his throat became sore the next day, making him unable to speak until it recovered.

He also remembered that Jeanne Alter and the Count were not happy about when they discovered it, and that Amakusa looked like he was about to die due to oxygen deprivation from laughing so much.

Shaking his head, the Shield Hero forced himself to focus his mind now that he had reached his destination.

That is, the forest were he and Mein were training the day before.

Even if it bring back bad memories, this place was the only one he was sure to be safe to began practicing with his Shield. Now that things had become this bad, the fame of the Hero of the Shield had fallen rock bottom, something that he should had not allowed to happen in the first place; so the only thing he could do now was to train and become stronger.

Stronger enough to protect all the things he wanted to protect. Not only the fame and prestige of the Shielder class, but the people worthy to be protected in this world too.

Don't get him wrong. He was angry with the King, with Mein and with his fellow Heroe Motoyasu for creating this big mess, (but most than anything he was angry at himself for being such a fool). That said, he has not lost even for a second the belief that the human race was something worth to protect. Of course, not all of them were good people, nor all of them deserved to be saved; but as a whole, humanity was something beautiful to him.

So first, he had to become stronger. After that he would fight this Waves of Calamities, save the people and then ask for him to be send back home. There, with Da Vinci and all of Chaldea's people help, maybe he can find a way to call for Mash again, even if only as a Servant from the Throne.

"Ok, here I go! Mash, just wait for me! I will make sure to find you again!"

He screamed to the heavens full of motivation, before running to attack the fist wave of monsters that were coming his way.

End of the chapter 02

Next chapter title: Slave.


	4. Slave to your own beliefs

Author ramblings at the end of the chapter!

You had been warned.

Chapter 04: Slave to your own beliefs.

Ritsuka released a sigh, feeling tired at that very moment. The last week was a challenge for him. Leaving aside the fact that the people inside the city now treated him really coldly, there were many impediments to his quest to become stronger.

That's it, his attack power was so low that he needed too much time to Level up. He needed almost an entire day of fighting those balloon-like enemies just for the first one, then two days for the second and four days for the third level. He was accustomed to hellish training, Scathach and Leonidas being quit strict with the way they trained him, so reaching the end of the day with his body hurting from all places and his stamina being close to zero was nothing he was not familiar with. That said, there was a clear difference between hellish, useful training and hellish, fruitless training, and the last week had been just that. If his theory was right and he really need the double of EXP points for each new level gained, then it will reach a point where he would need a whole month of fighting at this rate if nothing changes for good.

That simply would not do. Even if he had the determination, he was working with a time limit right now. Last time he visited the old man's shop to pay him for the mantle, Ritsuka asked him some questions that sadly no one else seemed willing to answer. That's how he discovered that the time for next Wave was displayed on a magical device called 'Hourglass of the Dragon's Era', which was located inside the Church in the city.

And that's how he discovered that he had less than 3 weeks to prepare himself.

"What should I do now?"

He muttered, playing a little with the food on his plate. It was night time and right now he was inside an old looking tavern, having his dinner. There were not that many places in the city that will serve him food, nor that much more that will do it without putting something strange in it, so the Shield Hero was happy to having found a place that will take his money even if the food was not that good.

'Maybe I should keep unlocking more types of shields and hope for the best?'

He wondered, munching a piece of meat that was a little too salty. Since he had begun his 'training', he discovered that his shield was not only able to store some things inside a magical space called 'Inventory', but it was also able to assimilate many of them, like what happened with his Mystic Code. Doing so, the Shield then will unlock new types of shields as long as the requirements were meet.

It was a little fun, he had to admit.

Ritsuka was not that much a fan of RPG games, his preferences leaning more towards fighting and racing games, but trying to unlock new branches of shields and acquiring new abilities was something that helped him keep motivated when his Level just refused to grow no matter how much he fought.

That said, no matter what he did Lord Camelot was still locked, and that frustrated him a lot. When a new type of shield was added, a branch will appear showing derivations or upgraded versions of them, with their respective requirements to unlock them. Sadly, Lord Camelot was not a part of any branches nor it displayed the requirements to acquired it, and no matter what he tried he simply could not reach for it.

'Even when my Mystic Code came out so easily...'

Ritsuka looked at his clothes, his Chaldea's Uniform looking just as new as it was when he wore it for the first time, so long ago. After being assimilated by the shield, he now was able to call for it and wear it without having to take the common steps like removing the clothes he was wearing at that moment. The Mystic Code just appearing from thin air around him while his traveler clothes get stored inside the Inventory.

It was weird, but really handy. Like how the armor of some of his servant could be materialized or transformed into magical energy to make them disappear.

Thinking about his Servant, he could not help but wonder what happened to them. Non of the Heroic Spirits were with him while he was running for his life trying to reach the exit of that mad Singularity that was the Temple of Solomon; all of them being busy fighting the remains of the Pillars so they don't try to obstruct his escape. He supposed that all of them went back to the Throne after his death(did he really died or was transported to this world before that happened?), unable to get the necessary Mana to maintain their physical form nor having a Master to anchor them to the world.

Putting the last of his food in his mouth, Ritsula allowed himself to lean backwards a little, looking at the dirty ceiling. He was feeling a little nostalgic, but more than anything, he was feeling a little lonely. Just a couple of weeks before there was so many people around him. His Servants, his friends at Chaldea, his kohai... But now there was no one at his side, no one he could talk during the trips he keep doing to train inside the forest or someone he could ask for advice.

It was a little sad, a really lonely.

'And the people that come to me...'

So far, since the incident with his now not that appreciated ex teammate, five more groups of people had approached him asking to join his party. The first one was a party of people that only wanted to mock him. The second were two girls that at first were saying that they believe him and were sure that he did nothing wrong, but when he refused to buy them equipment from his hard earned money, they showed their true colors and went away while calling him all sort of insults.

The third one was more of the same, so after having this kind of encounters one after another he had to make the hard choice of accepting that, while it was possible that somewhere out there really existed people that wanted to help him, it will be really hard to tell them apart from those that just wanted to take advantage of him.

That's why he rejected the others two groups, even when one of them seemed really hurt for being denied their request, Ritsuka could only close his heart and walk away from them.

Of course, this did nothing to solve his inability to damage his enemies, which cause him to fall in a terrible loop of ineffectiveness.

"Hey, Hero guy! Why don't you let us join your party? I promise we will make good use of you!"

"Hahaha!"

Two obviously drunk men approached him while smiling and Ritsuka just released a sigh at this.

"Let's go outside, shall we?"

He stood up, taking some coins from the pouch attached at his belt and leaving them in the counter in front of the owner of the tavern, making sure to put a little tip for the waitress too. He then walked to the exit door, being followed by the two drunk men.

Ritsuka did not wanted to began a fight inside the only place that accepted his money, after all.

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"Guh!"

"Keh!"

The two grow men groaned in pain, both of them lying in the cold ground of that unpaved alley. Standing bored close to them, Ritsuka just clapped his hands to clean them. It was true that his Attack Power was almost 0, making most of his attacks ineffective, but that was just if the attack was something that originated from him or something touched by him.

A hit originated from gravity itself was another matter, of course.

After facing both men and telling them right away that he would not let anyone trying to treat him like a pawn in his party, they became offended and enraged, and tried to punch him. Sadly for them, they were too drunk for their attacks to touch him and even if they did, his Defense at this point was just too high to receive any damage from them; so Ritsuka evaded their too obvious punches and grab them before trowing them in a series of Judo movements, allowing gravity do all the damage.

He just needed to do it three times for each guy before the pain let them unable to stand up again.

"Seriously, what were you thinking, trying to attack a Hero with your bare hands?"

He wondered aloud, but the men just released more groans of pain. Shaking his head a little, he began to walk away from them. If they were robbed or something else, it was all their fault. For now, he had to find a Inn that will allow him stay the night.

No matter how accustomed he was to camping outside, nothing beat a soft, warm bed after all.

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"One hundred and seventy one... One hundred and seventy two... One hundred and seventy-"

Ritsuka was punching another balloon while muttering absent minded. At his current Level (actually 4), he needed around 200 to 205 hits to kill one of those things, which was an improvement from the almost 300 that he needed at lv 1. That said, it was still too time consuming, but he barely had any choice at that point. Counting 202 hits, his enemy exploded so he reached for another one...

"...?"

His eyes snapped to focus when a sound reached his ears and pulled him from the monotony he was feeling.

"What was that?"

He wondered, looking around in search for this sound. Right now he was in the middle of the grassland, near the entry to the forest. There where many balloon monsters around him, but nothing more that could had make that particular sound.

After all, it sounded like a voice, one that was getting closer and louder...

"Pleaseeeee! Someone stop my faaaall!"

A shiver run trough his spine the moment he realized the voice was coming from above, so he immediately raised his head, searching for it. High in the sky (but descending really fast) a person was falling from apparently nowhere. It was a woman, that much he could tell for the voice and the long, fluttering hair she had. She was hugging something in her arms but her legs were flapping and it looked like she could not control her fall, so if nobody help her she would end like a red stain in the grass.

" _ **Change: Ivy Shield!**_ "

Pulling himself out of his surprise, Ritsuka changed to the only shield that could help him rescue this person.

" _ **Ivy Net!**_ "

He called and from his shield a big net made from Ivy Vines appeared, trapping many of the monsters inside it. He immediately closed the bag and moved it to where he believed the landing point will be. The woman seemed to notice this because she tried to control his fall and aim to the improved balloon bed.

 ***Boing***

"Gyaaaa!"

The woman released a scream when, after hitting the bag, the force from the rebound send her flying again. Ritsuka moved fast, his hands up to the sky trying to catch her.

"I got you, I got you, I got-"

Then he stepped on one of the balloon monsters and tripped, falling face first in the grass.

"Guh!"

And then the woman fell hard, sitting on his back.

"Kuha!"

Ritsuka exclaimed. It does not really hurt, what with his defense being so high, but it was still so unexpected that he could not help but exclaim.

"Uuhh... My rear hurts..."

The woman moaned in pain, rubbing his lower back while some tears where in the corner of her eyes.

"The nerve of that man! Throwing a cute little girl like me inside a dimensional rift like it was nothing... He did not even allow me to take any of my inventions with me!"

"Fou..."

The woman, a young girl now that he had the chance to hear her from close, screamed to the heavens, her voice sounding really vexed for something. Ritsuka turned his head, trying to see this girl better. Something in her way of talking was oddly familiar for him. And that cute animal sound too...

Sitting on his back was a young girl, around twelve to fourteen years old and with flowing brown hair tied in a loose ponytail. In her lap, a fluffy white animal could be seen, his little body shaking due to the fear he must have felt, no doubt.

"... Da Vinci? Fou?"

He asked gingerly, unable to believe what he was seeing. The girl froze, being called for her name so suddenly, and then looked down while blinking in confusion. That only lasted until she could recognize the person she was sitting on.

"...Fujimaru-kun?"

She said, her voice soft and uncertain, but then she screamed again, turning her body so she could hug his neck with emotion and little Fou began to lick his face.

"Fujimaru-kun! You really are still alive!"

"Fou! Fou!"

Ritsuka could only stare at them while feeling really confused. Still, a feeling of happiness was slowly growing inside him until...

"Wah?! Are you crying?! Are you hurt? I'm sorry! I don't think I'm that heavy in this body but maybe from the fall..."

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"I see. So you were summoned to this world. Of all the things that could happened to you..."

Leonardo Da Vinci released a sigh, wondering if Fujimaru's luck should be called a good one or a bad one. The two of them plus Fou were near the outskirts of the forest, where the Shield Hero had his camp settled for the moment. It took them some time to calm down from the shock and confusion (and happiness) of having found each other, but they now where able to talk about the things that happened to him after the Goetia incident.

"Even so, to treat Fujimaru-kun like that. Ohhh! I'm really mad now!"

Da vinci said, standing up and clenching her fist after hearing about Mein's betrayal. Just let her find that woman! She will test some of the torture instruments that she developed when she was feeling particularly annoyed with someone.

Of course, she had never actually use them, but there was always a first time for everything!

Fujimaru just laughed a little at this, feeling refreshed at having someone that will get angry for him. Even so, there was not time to waste in the prank that woman pulled on him, there were more important things to worry right now. Things like...

Taking a big breath to prepare himself, Ritsuka asked.

"Hey, Da Vinci... Were you able to bring Mash back to Chaldea?"

He knew that it was mostly a lost cause. Unlike him, whose death was not a certainty(he was not certain of it, at least), he watched the moment Mash disappeared from the sheer power that the attack from Goetia had, leaving behind only her shield as the proof of her resolve to protect him from harm.

Even so, even if it was a foolish hope, he wanted to believe in that little possibility.

Sadly, Fujimaru knew the answer even before she spoke in the way Da Vinci face became serious and her eyes lost all energy.

"Fou..."

Fou released a little cry, his ears falling down. Da Vinci sat down again, taking the cup of herbs tea that Ritsuka had prepared for both of them.

"After the attack from Goetia, Mash life signals disappeared along the Spirit Origin of Galahad. Even if she had somehow survived that, the Singularity collapsed completely so she still will..."

The girl closed her mouth, unable to tell those words. Her hands clenching firmly around the cup while the way her lips moved made Ritsuka understand that she was trying really hard not to bite them. She spoke again, her voice full of bitter regret.

"Not only Romani, I even allowed cute Mash to..."

"Da vinci!"

Ritsuka stood up, putting his hands over her shoulders. The girl was a little shocked from this but the man in from of him continued, his voice firm and clear.

"It was not your fault! You did the best you could to protect everyone, just like they did their best to protect us."

Da Vinci looked up at Ritsuka eyes, noticing how little tears where accumulating there. He was suffering, she understood, but more than anything, he was trying to not regret the past, because that would mean tarnishing their noble sacrifice.

"Bedsides..."

The young man continued, a tiny smile on his face even when his eyes revealed he was feeling sad.

"I believe we will meet them again some day. I'm sure of it."

He had no way to prove he was right; that he, Mash, Romani, Da Vinci and all of their friends will meet once again in the future. It was just the foolish dream of a naive young man that had not power in a world so cruel.

Even so, he could only wait and hope, while doing his best to reach for that future.

Da Vinci lips tightened up a little more before she wiped the tears in the corner of her eyes with her forearms, smiling a bit.

"You are right, Fujimaru-kun. There may be a future where all of us could be together again. After all, we all in Chaldea tough Fujimaru-kun had died in the Temple of Solomon, but look at this, you are alive and as optimistic as ever!"

The genius laughed and Ritsuka eyes light up, happy to having help the girl to cheer up.

"Fou! Fou!"

Their fluffy friend said, jumping to Ritsuka arms and rubbing his face against his chest. Ritsuka remembered something then, asking again.

"Oh, right. What happened after the Singularity was over? Did the world returned to normal? And why did you got younger?"

"Umm about that..."

Da Vinci told him that, the day after the last Singularity was restored, Chaldea was stormed with calls from many magical institutions and the UN, demanding answers about the fact that, somehow, all the people in the world has lost an entire year of their lives without knowing the cause. Due to that, Chaldea was put under heavy scrutiny until a satisfactory answer could be given.

"Seriously, they did not even give us time to mourn."

The girl said, pouting a little at the memory. Ristuka only looked confused about this.

"I tough the Mage Association and the UN where aware of what Chaldea goal was?"

"That's correct. Even so, for the people outside Chaldea things went from 'sending candidates to be Masters of the Servants that should be summoned' to 'everything is over and humanity is saved! Also, you just lost a year of your life and the candidates that you send were severely injured and close to death'. All that in less that a day from their point of view."

"I see..."

Losing a completely year of your life in a second could make anyone feel paranoiac. That only just a bunch of people knew the reason about it could immediately send any person to demand for answers.

"That's why things in Chaldea are a little chaotic right now. The Mage Association and the UN raided the place and began to take all the data they could find. Fortunately, all the Heroic Spirit had already returned to the Throne so they were not taken into custody nor captured to study. If that had happened, things could had gone ugly really fast."

Da Vinci said and Ritsuka nodded in understanding. People trying to capture Heroic Spirits was insane. There were many kinds of Servants in Chaldea, but most of them will fight without a second tough if they felt in danger or were attacked by what they consider an enemy.

And, of course, there were also those like Archer Gilgamesh or Jeanne Alter that will kill anyone just because they find them annoying.

Shaking his head a little, Ritsuka began to caress Fou's back, the little fox-like animal releasing a pour of contentment.

"What happened to your body? Did they attacked you?"

He asked with worry, but Da Vinci just smiled a sly smile.

"Ara, asking about a woman's body. You had become so daring, Fujimaru-kun!"

"Da Vinci..."

Seeing as Ritsuka was not in the mood for teasing and was really worried for her, the genius girl just released a sigh and decided to be serious again.

"They did not attacked me, but seeing how they were planning to capture any Heroic Spirit they could, I decided to abandon my grow up body along a good portion of my Spirit Origin and disguise myself as a normal human to deceive the Mage Association. Right now I'm barely stronger than Master-kun is, even if I technically can be considered a Heroic Spirit. Think of it as me being a Demi-Servant of some sort."

"Ehh~"

She explained and Ritsuka just nodded, amazed at how easily the person in front of him could pull out something like that in such a short time. Well, he knew she was a genius, so he just accepted it without thinking too much about it.

"So, how did you found me? Did Chaldea's staff was able to track down my life signatures somehow?"

He asked, trying to remember how all the systems in Chaldea worked. He had learned many things about the magic world since he became a Master, even so, there were still many things that were too advanced for him to understand. Da Vinci just shook her head at this.

"As you may know, all Chaldea's instrument are designed in base to the Earth, our Earth, Soul of Humanity: Alaya. They can only inspect, record and interfere with our planet history and nothing else. That's why we though Fujimaru-kun has passed away, because you were pulled out of our world history."

"Then, how did you found me?"

Da Vinci put a complicated face at the question.

"It was not us who found you. Around two hours ago, that's it, two hours in our world time, a certain... Mage... Showed up in Chaldea. He appeared almost out of nowhere, told us that Fujimaru-kun was alive and will need my help, and then opened a dimensional rift and throw me inside it."

The girl explained, sounding really annoyed at the memory. Even if it was the Wizard Marshall himself, that was just too rude! And why did he show himself after everything was over! It was like he was just trying his best to piss her off!

"A certain Mage?"

Ritsuka could not help but ask, wondering why the normally cheerful woman would look so angry. Da Vinci just released a long sigh, forcing herself to relax.

"Don't worry about him, it will save you a lot of headaches if you don't know too much about it. Anyway, thanks to him, I was able to meet with Master-kun again."

She smiled, looking happy. Ritsuka smiled too.

"Oh, by the way. Did you know any raccoon girl?"

Da Vinci asked, remembering something. Ritsuka just looked confused at the question.

"Not that I can remember. So far I haven't meet anyone like that. Why do you ask?"

"The Mage that send me here said this to me before throwing me trough the rift: '... _And don not forget to take that tanuki girl with you, she is the key to unlock that boy's powers._ '"

"A tanuki girl...?"

He wondered aloud. Maybe he was referring to Ushiwakamaru? Granted, she resembled more a crow than a raccoon but the sheath of her sword always made him think of a tanuki tail...

"And when he said 'my powers', did he mean Lord Camelot, maybe?"

"Uh? What about Mash Shield?"

"Oh, I haven't told you, right? You see..."

Ritsuka began to explain about the skills in the Legendary Shield in his arm and also the fact that he had Lord Camelot but was unable to use it. Da Vinci just listened without losing a word, and then began to ask more about it. It seemed like she found the ability of the shield to absorb things and develop new abilities to be something interesting.

"Kuh! If only I had my tools with me..."

The girl said with regret, looking at the shield with intensity, trying to unravel his mysteries even if she only had her eyes and hands to do it. Fou just sniffed at the shield two times, and then began to try and scratch it.

"Muh..."

Pouting a little, Da Vinci gave up trying to understand the Shield, sitting again while crossing her arms.

"That said, Fujimaru-kun, what are you planning to do from now on?"

"Umm..."

She asked, and Ritsuka looked at the sky. It was beginning to tint red, meaning that the night was a hour or less about to fall.

"For the time begin, we should go back to the city and book a Inn room. I know one that will charge me a little more than they charge other people, but still will treat me like a regular customer in everything else afterwards."

"I'm not talking about that..."

Da Vinci looked annoyed at him for having purposely misunderstand his question like that and Ritsuka just smiled, enjoying the way the genius girl looked more expressive in this young form.

"I, of course, am planning to fight those Waves of Calamities and try to help the people of this world."

He said simply, a little smile on his face.

"Even after all they did to you?"

Da Vinci asked, her eyes making him know that she was not too forgiving about what Mein and the King did to him. Ritsuka just scratched his cheek a little, looking sheepish.

"Well, I had to admit that, even for a joke, that was a little too much..."

Never in his life he though people will tough of him as a rapist, even if Kiyohime and Tamamo will be more than happy to become his victims. That said, the little disdain of an unknown person was nothing he could not take after having been the focus of so much scorn and outright hate from the Pillar Gods and Goetia itself.

Maybe he was weird for thinking like that? It could be, seeing how Da Vinci looked annoyed at his lack of anger about this situation; but he tough it could had been worse.

He could be dead, or imprisoned and unable to do something to clean the Shielders dignity, for example.

"Even so, this last week I have been able to observe the people of this world, and they are not that different from the people of our own."

Having almost nothing to do after his daily 'training' was over, Ritsuka found himself watching the people of the city as they went on with their lives. Many still give him the stinky eye, but so far most of them just ignored him in favor of doing their daily activities.

People talk, buy, sell, walk, run and wait. Mothers took the hands of their child and the kids played around with a smile. It was not the most peaceful of cities, of course. There were many incidents of robberies or fighting, and the treat of the Waves was still looming in the air, making people nervous; but even so, humans just kept pushing themselves forward.

"I think they deserved to be protected."

He finally said. Even there existed people like Mein and the King, Ritsuka believe that, much like his own world, there was something worth protecting in this one too, even if he had yet to find it.

"That's much like you, Fujimaru-kun."

Da Vinci smiled a little, looking happily resigned about his friend resolve. Should it be called a wonderful quality or a foolish naivety? No matter, it were those pure feelings that allowed so many Heroic Spirits to be drawn to this person.

"Then, lets plan what to do from now on. We should think about securing a base to do our operations. Also, we need to create a efficient way for you to get stronger fast. What else...?"

Listing the things that need to be done, Da Vinci began to walk to were the city wall could be seen far away, Ritsuka following close whit Fou in his arms and a big, happy smile on his face.

It seemed like things were a bout to change.

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"Hey, Old man! are you there?"

Ritsuka called as he opened the door to the weapon shop. It was the day after Da Vinci arrival and after a quit meal in the morning Ritsuka decided to show the girl the places he though were important to know for her. The market streets for example, or the location of the castle and the church. Da Vinci was interested in the library and any place that could help her gather knowledge of this world, but sadly he knew not their location, and that's why he decided to ask to his only source of information.

"Oh, is the Shield boy. What bring you here today? You are buying something this time, I hope."

"Ahahaha..."

The shopkeeper joked, coming out of the back room. Ritsuka could only laugh sheepishly, aware that the only times he had visited the shop were to ask the old man different kind of things, never to actually buy anything seeing how little money he had at the moment.

The old man smiled, happy that his teasing has landed, but then his smile froze a little when he watched the cute girl that was walking bedside the shield boy with an amused look on her face.

"Oy, oy. I know you must be feeling lonely, but hat no reason to deceive innocent young girls, you know?"

The shopkeeper said, giving him a reproaching glance and Ritsuka had the impulse to laugh at this.

Da Vinci? a innocent, young girl? Yeah, sure.

Even so, he decided to let it go and tell him more or less the true.

Of course, the 'Innocent, young girl' had others plans in mind.

"No, no, good sir. That's wrong. Master-kun has not deceived me in the least. In fact, he was quit honest when telling what he wanted from me."

She said, hugging him from the side while one of her hands moved playfully around his chest. Ritsuka felt a shiver run trough his spine for many different reasons and the shopkeeper looked like he was reconsidering his opinion of the boy in front of him.

"Da Vinci-chan..."

"Fufufu~"

Rtisuka groaned and the young girl just laughed at this so Ritsuka released a sigh. If she was trying to help him, then worsening his already bad reputation was not a good way to do it.

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"Is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Da Vinci. I will be more than pleased if you call me Da Vinci-chan."

Da Vinci introduced herself, already having declared that she was just joking a moment ago. The shopkeeper looked relieved after hearing this, and introduced himself too.

"So, Missy, are you a friend of the Shield boy?"

"That's right. Fujimaru-kun helped me with some troublesome things in the past, so I have decided to help him by becoming his companion."

"Oh~? It that so?"

The man glanced at her, trying to make sure whether she was telling the true or not. Finally, he decided to believe her, if only because he tough that the Shield Hero should know better by now than just trust anyone blindly.

"That's good, then. So? What can I do for you today?"

He asked, looking at Ritsuka. The boy just scratched his cheek at this and the old man released a sigh.

"You have more questions, I guess?"

"I'm sorry for taking you time like this."

The young man apologized while bowing a little.

"Actually, Fujimaru-kun, if it's all right with you I did like to see this shop weapons."

Da Vinci words confused him a little, but he decided that she must have her reasons for it, so he asked the old man to show them his cheapest wares.

Money was a sore spot right now! Please forgive him!

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"Seriously, who designed the system like this?"

Da Vinci could not help but complain, massaging her temple a little. Two days had passed since her arrival and she had more or less understood the general situation around his now ex Master. Right now they were inside the room they have booked for the last days, thinking about their plans for the future.

"I'm not really sure, seeing how I can't understand the written language of this world nor anyone is willing to teach me, but it seems this system had existed for quit a long time now, even if no one is sure of how or why it was created."

Ritsuka was sitting in the floor while playing with Fou. The fox-like creature looked happy to watch the shield change forms again and again, so Ritsuka just kept doing that. He was not really sure, but he had the feeling that Fou was acting a little too innocent if compared as before, but he believed it could only be his imagination.

"So another thing we need to do is to gather all the info we can get our hands on... Even so, whoever made this system was really asking for a beating!"

She exclaimed, feeling that she would not be surprised if anyone tell her that a Goddess like Stheno or Artemis were the responsible for such an inefficient system. The day before they had tried many things to see how the EXP was gained and if different ways of killing an enemy will give different amounts of EXP. Sadly, there was no variation in killing a balloon with punches than kicking it or hit it with the Shield. Worse of all was that they discovered Ritsuka had to be the direct responsible for the kill or he would get no EXP at all, as was proved by them placing traps to kill those Rabbits-like monsters.

It was almost like whoever created the Hero System(Da Vinci named it), was trying to force the Hero of the Shield to had companions all the time with him. It make sense, of course, seeing as his role was mean to protect; but it did not helped at all in a situation like the one Ritsuka was stuck in right now.

Thinking deeply, Da Vinci began to arrange all the information she had obtained in her head. Finally, she spoke again.

"It can't be helped. I will have to be the one doing all the damage, then."

She said, sounding resigned. Ritsuka just looked at her, asking a little dubious.

"Are you sure? I know is most likely our only option right now, but it will be dangerous. Besides, it does not seems like you can gain any EXP at all."

"Guh..."

That was another of the reasons for Da Vinci to be so annoyed at the inefficient system of this world. For some reason, she gained no EXP at all no matter how many enemies she killed. Ritsuka could use one of the Shield abilities to look at the info of the people and objects around him. It was very basic information, of course, but it was useful nonetheless. That's how they discovered that Da Vinci level did not raise up no matter how many balloon she killed. The genius girl has a theory for this, of course. That she being a foreign entity to this world and obviously outside the system was the cause for her inability to become stronger.

Frankly, it was a miracle that this world conscience, this world 'Gaia', was not trying to erase her at that very moment.

That said, that left Ritsuka in the same position as before, with him unable to efficiently raise his own level.

"Even so, I think it will be better if even one of us can raise his level, so I believe its worth the try."

Da Vinci concluded and Ritsuka just nodded his head, accepting her decisions.

"Bedsides, we really need money right now, otherwise we will never be able to get us a place to set up a Workshop."

The girl lamented. She was a genius, so of course she could do many amazing things even if she was forced to work in that cramped inn room! Even so, there were many more useful things she will be able to do once she had a Workshop on her own.

"The materials we can gather from the enemies will help us to solve that problem. Think about it: Chaldea's branch office, great inauguration!"

She exclaimed grandiosely and Ritsuka just clapped his hands, having fun at the though. Then, his stomach released a little growl, one that was mirrored with less intensity by the girl in front of him.

"I guess we should go for dinner before anything else."

He just said.

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Both of them were coming back from having a humble dinner. Da Vinci was complaining about the taste even when Ritsuka though it was not that bad. That said, he was more accustomed to eat whatever it was possible during his travels trough the Singularities while Da Vinci was most accustomed to eat what Servants like Emiya and Tamamo Cat prepared for the people of Chaldea, so maybe their taste buds were developed in different ways.

It was when Ritsuka almost reached the end of the alley they were crossing that a voice called for him.

"It's looks like you are in a pinch."

It was the voice of a man, one that sounded like he was having fun at something. Ritsuka turned around in a second, his shield appearing in his hand and his body moving to put himself between the voice and Da Vinci. The girl looked confused for a second, but then she reached for the dagger they have bought for her the day before,

"Oh~ so fast to react. Aren't you a nervous one?"

From the darkness of the alley, a short man appeared, his clothes that of an extravagant person. The man was smiling, but Ritsuka was not sure if that smile was benevolent or malicious due to the how his eyes were hid behind those little, round glasses.

"Who are you?"

The Hero of the Shield asked, a little unnerved by this person attitude. The man smile just turned a little bigger, if that was even possible, showing his pearly white teeth.

"Oh, I'm just a businessman that have found an opportunity for a big hit. Would you be interested to hear my proposal, Hero of the Shield-sama?"

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"What is this place?"

Da Vinci asked, looking at the big tent that was as tall as a two-story house. It looked like some kind of circus from outside but she could not see any people nor any of the animals that you could expect in those kind of places. Instead, the place was oddly quiet, giving it an eerie feeling.

"This is the place where I do my business, young lady. Ah, don't worry, all my trades fall under the law of this kingdom. I'm a honest merchant, after all."

The shady man said, walking inside the tent. Ritsuka debated for a moment if he should follow the man or leave now that there was still time. She looked at Da Vinci for her opinion but the girl just showed him a little smile, letting him know that she would abide by his decision. Finally, he decided to follow the shady man, if only because he was a little curious about his offer. This 'merchant' had been really cryptic with his words, only letting them know that he had the solution for his lack of attack power, but never telling him what this solution was. Seeing as they were in a place that looked like a circus, the Shield Hero began to think that maybe he was offering to sell him a pet of some sort.

"That could work."

Da Vinci told him, reaching the same conclusion as him. Of course, he now had Da Vinci with him to do damage, but an extra in attack power will be well received.

'Maybe I can get a Griffin or even a Pegasus!'

He though with some joy, remembering some of the mystic creatures that he had meet in his quest to save humanity. Many of them were hostile to him, of course, but some of his Servant had creatures of their own that he had the chance to caress even when it was for a short period of time. They were fluffy and nice to touch, he though.

Not as fluffy and nice as Fou, but close enough.

That said, he was unable to ride them due to how little space Chaldea has aside from the training rooms, and inside the Singularities there was always the risk of being spotted by the enemies, so eye catching creatures like that had to remain in spiritual form.

"This way, please."

The merchant said, gesturing with his hand for them to follow him inside a corridor made from the cloth of the giant tent. Once they cross it, the Shield of the Hero and the genius inventor could not help but froze in their place at the sight that received them.

There was a big room with cages, lots and lots of cages.

And inside the cages, lots and lots of creatures of all kind.

"Welcome, my friends, to my Slave Shop."

The shady man said, his pearly smile and glasses reflecting the scarce light that a couple of candles emitted here and there. Ritsuka could just stare, his mind still trying to understand what he was really watching in that moment.

"I see..."

Da Vinci said in a soft voice, sounding reserved.

Ritsuka grimaced a little. Is not that he could not understand what he was seeing. He already was thinking of buying a pet or something similar, and here definitely were many creatures that could fulfill that role.

Is not that he could not understand the act of slavery. There were many slaves in the ancient city of Uruk, after all.

What he could not believe, what was hurting his soul right now was the amount. Looking around, there were at least fifty to sixty cages in that room; and placed inside each cage there were one to three living beings.

it was a disheartening sight for him.

"An slave shop... Did this kingdom really allow for something like this?"

Da Vinci asked, looking around with a clinical eye. Ritsuka knew that she too was disapproving of what she was seeing, but if this place was really a legal one, then there was little she could do at the moment.

The Slave trader looked a little offended for his business to be called 'something like this', but responded nonetheless.

"Of course. Well, I have to admit that many people still found this practice to be of poor taste, but slaves are one the most important gears that move the kingdom economy."

He said, looking proud for having the chance of explaining this. Ritsuka released a sigh, shaking his head a little.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe this is the answer we are searching for."

He apologized, already thinking about leaving the place. The shady man looked a little disappointed at this, but decided to insist out of professional pride.

"Like I said, I understand that many people find slavery as a distasteful business, but I believe is all about the owner and not the slave. If the owner is a good one, the slave will grow into a magnificent creature. On the contrary, if the owner is a bad one, the slave will wither and disappear into dust."

The man said, that eerie smile of him showing again.

"Think about it, Hero-sama. After all, the slave that you buy right now is one whose life and fate you could decide."

"Hey, old man...!"

Da Vinci raised her voice, understanding that the slave trader was trying to make Ritsuka feel guilty to force him buy a slave, but she stopped herself when the Shield Hero placed his hand in her shoulder.

"Even if you said all that, I don't have that much money with me right now so I doubt I can buy even the cheapest one of your wares."

Ritsuka said simply, already having looked around to see the info of many of the creatures around them. Most of them were high level, and looked really powerful so it was easy to assume they were really expensive. Ritsuka was planning to use his lack of money as a way to lost the interest of the shop owner and make his escape so he could not help but be surprised when instead the shady man smile grow.

"I see, I see. That's a little problem. Even so, I believe I may have something cheap in the back room."

Giving them a 'follow me' gesture, the man walked to another door and open it, he then turned around to wait for his 'customers'.

Now really feeling like running away, Fujimaru wondered what he should do, but he froze when Da Vinci rushed inside the room.

"Da Vinci-chan?"

"Fujimaru-kun, follow me."

She said with soft yet firm voice and the guy make haste to move inside the new room with her. The slave owner also looked confused about this change of aptitude of the so far cautious girl but then understood that it was due to something having catch her attention.

Well, it was better to say 'someone'.

"This girl..."

The genius girl said, grabbing the sheet that was covering the right half of one of the cages. Ritsuka was confused for a second but then his brain froze when he understood what he was seeing.

It was a small, dirty girl, one that looked sick and malnourished. Her hair was a mess, looking almost like a mane, and her face was pale and thin. It was a sorry sight, like that of a person in the last days of her life, even so, it was not this what caused him to freeze.

It was the ears and the tail of this girl. Even if she was mostly human, she had some animal traits too, ones that made her look like...

"A tanuki girl..."

Ritsuka muttered, feeling shocked.

They hay finally found her.

End of chapter 04.

Next chapter title: Master.

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Author ramblings now! Read only if you wanna lose some minutes of your life!

So, Epic of Remnant just was released, and I'm happy for it, because it helped me check if I was really misunderstanding Ritsuka personality in some way and he was not really that naive nor he had that much disposition to trust people easily. Shinjuku was my answer *Happy face*

Ah, don't get me wrong please. I'm happy that people told me that I was wrong about Ritsuka because that made me have doubts and gave me a reason to go back to the Singularities logs and read the story again, which made me remember many amazing and funny moments of the game.

It also made me rush Shinjuku, and I finished it in one day so sorry for the delay of this chapter!

Talking about release dates, I just ended my employment contract in my last work so I will have some free time from now on (don't worry, I have already made another contract that will began in around two weeks, so I will not have money problems or anything ((but if people want to give me a little help in my Ptreon account, I will be more than grateful for it!)). This mean that I will have more time to do longer chapters for this fic (this chapter was almost the double than the regular ones) and still release them in the promised time.

Now for this chapter. As you can see, things had already changed but at the same time they stayed the same, how it that even possible?! because I had said from the very beginning (or at least I believe I said it) that two important events had to happen in this story: Malty betrayal and Raphtalia being bought as slave. Why those things had to happen? because spoilers, so I will not tell you for now (lol).

Even so, those things had almost happened, so from now on expect those changes to grow more and more.

I mean, Da Vinci-chan is here after all! Did you see that coming? Because she didn't (lol).

Before anyone say anything, please be aware that I'm a NA player of FGO and only know the story until Shinjuku so far. I had tried not to spoil myself by watching the JP game so I have no idea why or when Da Vinci-chan really appears in FGO, that's why all the things that she will said and do in this fic are completely invented by me.

In that note, all the information that will appear in this fic about the game will be related to the first part of the game. If more important information appears latter, I may use it as a reference for something, but I will not try to add it to the fic later.

You had been warned!

Now, I promise nothing, but I will try to give you all beautiful people the next chapter before this week ends. Why? Because being honest, at this point many people in the reviews had already guessed many of the things I had prepared for this fic (not everything, but is scary just how much minor and major details they had mentioned by now, like Leonidad training or the Wait and Hope phrase), so I felt the need to rush it a little so people does not think I'm stealing their ideas (not that there is anything bad in borrowing ideas from time to time, but I had my little pride as a writer, you know?). So, don't kept your hopes high, but cross your fingers!

And I think that's all for now! See you next time!


	5. Master of the distant dream

Chapter 05: Master of the distant dream.

* _Koho_ * * _Koho_ *

Her throat released that involuntary sound and she moved her hands against her chest, trying to alleviate the pain even if only a little, but it was all in vain. She then clenched her hands and tightened her lips, wondering not for the first time just how much time she will have to endure until the world show her a little mercy and allowed her to finally die.

After all, for her, living was just so hard, so painful; and, if she died, then maybe she could meet her parents once again.

 ***Clakom***

A sound was heard when the door next to where she was imprisoned opened, the voice of the slave trader sounding a little too happy while chatting with someone, surely some customers. Raphtalia pay this not mind at all, as this was an regular occurrence in the shop. People will come and go many times at day, buying slaves or selling them back after their owners had their fun with them or broke them beyond salvation.

It was due to this that her mind didn't focus in whatever was happening around her until the moment the sheet covering her cage was removed, allowing some of the light from the nearest candles to reach her. Raphtalia blinked a little, her eyes too accustomed to the darkness that even that tiny amount of light was enough to blind her for some seconds. Once the blindness was over, she finally was able to see the person that had removed the sheet.

It was a young girl, one that was dressed in a very cute yet strange set of clothes; so Raphtalia could not help but think she was the daughter of some human noble or someone with a lot of money. The girl was looking at her with eyes full of pity, yet there was some intensity in them as well, making Raphtalia feel nervous and scared.

"This girl..."

A male voice sounded next to the rich girl, so Raphtalia turned to see who this new person was.

It was a adult man (in her eyes, at least), one with dark, short hair and dressed in fine clothes that looked like some kind of uniform. The man looked shocked for some reason, but soon his face turned serious while muttering something, then he looked to the rich girl and nodded.

"How much for this girl?"

The man said and the shopkeeper looked confused for a moment but responded nonetheless.

"Thirty silver coins. She is one of my cheapest wares, but I have to say this to you, dear customer, she is cheap due to how weak she is. She es only Level 1 and of her race is not that interesting, bedsides, this one face is not that pretty and she tends to scream in the nights for some reason. I really think you should get a better one."

Raphtalia could only lower her head, shame and impotence flowing through her at the harsh and diminishing words that were used to describe her, treating her like an object. The young man released a little grunt and the rich girl released a sighed too.

"It's all right."

The man said, and Raphtalia noticed his shadow coming close to the cage. Raising her head, she watched the moment his hand passed through the bars of her cage, moving towards his head.

"Ugh!"

She exclaimed, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the hit or whatever pain she was about to feel.

Instead, she felt the hand touching her head softly, and then it began to caress his hair.

"Don't worry. Things are about to change."

The man said, his voice sounding soft yet firm. Raphtalia could not help but felt confused for a moment, opening her eyes to try and understand what was happening.

That's when she watched those warm, blue eyes for the first time. Even if his face was a little bit darkened by the poor light of the place, his eyes were something that she could clearly see, as if they had some light of their own.

The man removed his hand and turned back to the salve trader, who was looking all this with a confused face.

"I will take her with me. It's there some procedure we may need to do?"

He asked and the shopkeeper looked uncertain and a little disappointed.

"Are you sure? I still think that Hero-sama could get something better..."

"It's all right. She is what we were searching for."

Looking from the man to the young girl, the slave trader could see that both of them were decided already. Raphtalia could not be sure, but she had the feeling the shady man was not happy with this. Maybe it was due to her position so close to the floor but she watched as the man right hand began to move to his back and inside his clothes...

"Also, all the slaves in this room... They look really unhealthy unlike the one from before. Are they cheap due to them having some kind of trouble?"

"Yes, that's the reason. I see that Hero-sama could understand that really fast..."

The shopkeeper moved a little, placing himself now looking at the back of his customer. He then pulled what looked like a dagger of some kind, one that she was almost sure to having seen before...

"Ah!"

Raphtalia exclaimed, her mind finally remembering what this dagger was. It was one of the tools the slave trader used to do the slave contract work. She tried to warn the man, even if she had no obligation to do so, but his slave crest impede her to talk if she had not been given permission, so she could only watch as the shopkeeper launched himself at the unprotected back of that man with clear blue eyes...

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Ritsuka knew the attack was coming just from the little exclamation of the Tanuki girl and the fast steps of the man behind him. He did not worried nor panicked at this, because it was something he was waiting for.

Just like that over protective red archer will do, Ritsuka had showed the slave trader a weak spot that he could exploit and the man had bit the bait without hesitation.

" _ **Skill: Emergency Evasion.**_ "

"Uh?!"

The shady man could not help but exclaim when the target of his attack disappeared in thin air and then the world turned around. He fell hard on his back, the air escaping his lungs harshly and leaving him paralyzed for a second.

 ***Swiin***

The man felt something pointy touch his neck and he froze when he understood that it was a weapon. He looked around without moving too much and discovered the young girl companion of the Shield Hero pointing at him with his own dagger.

"Ara, this weapon looks interesting. I wonder what it does."

Da Vinci said, her face looking amused and non in the less shocked due to him being attacked so suddenly. Ritsuka moved next to her, his face showing that, even if he was not shocked about the shopkeeper attack, he found the situation troublesome at the least.

"I'm not really sure, but I don't think it was meant to hurt me. It looks like this guy had been following us for a while after all, so he must be aware that my defense is really high."

He remembered the way the shopkeeper talked like he knew about Ritsuka, that's it, the Shield Hero, for some time now; so it was obvious the man had been investigating him for some time. Da Vinci just nodded, looking at the dagger for some seconds before speaking again.

"There is mana flowing through it, the same kind of mana that this man had. Seeing as he is a slave trader, I'm pretty sure this is one of the tools needed to implant the slave geass upon his target."

"So he really was trying to capture me, uh?"

The slave trader began to sweat a lot after hearing them talk. He was really good in his chosen field, that's it, slavery magic. That being said, he had not that much physical power. If he had to fight against one of the Heroes, then he would need to use one of his strongest slaves, but that supposed two big problems. One was the fact that he might lose that slave in the battle, which will meant a big lose for his business; the other was that the battle could grow so big that the imperial guards will come and search for the cause of the trouble. Even if he was confident that he could just put all the blame in the Shield Hero, that will put an end to his opportunity to gain the favor of the Queen, something that he really didn't want to happen.

Worse of all, maybe that terrifying Queen discovers that he tried to slave the Shield Hero and decided to put an end to his business.

Feeling really nervous, the man began to try and talk his way out of this mess.

"De... Dear Customer, this is just a misunderstanding..."

"Now, now. You did not really believe we will fall for that, do you?"

The girl said, still looking amused, but then she moved away, allowing the man to stood up again.

"It's clear that you tried to capture a Hero, one of the people in charge of protecting this kingdom. Even if Fujimaru-kun reputation is not that good right now, I still believe some kind of punishment will fall upon you if we report this."

Da Vinci moved the dagger a little in a 'no-no' gesture. The man bit his lips, looking really vexed at her words, even so, Da Vinci just continued without paying this any attention.

"That said, we really want to get this girl with us but if this is really a legal business in this kingdom, just taking her with us will be not different than stealing. Even if we denounce you, there is no way to tell if they will give us this girl or send her away, seeing how the kingdom is doing its best to obstruct us from getting stronger."

"So you want me to give her for free, then?"

He asked, relaxing his posture a little. He wasn't happy about having to give free merch to anyone, but if all the troubles could be avoided with it, he was more than willing to lose a couple of silver coins.

To his surprise, the girl in front of him shook her head before looking at the Shield Hero, who began to explain.

"We will pay the full price for her, and of course, in the future we will also pay the full price of any other slave that we purchase from this shop. What we want from you is a little promise."

"A promise?"

"Yes. All the slaves here... and all those back there..."

The Shield Hero looked at the end of the room, where the worse of his wares were placed. Those slaves were just one step away from the death, after all, he being unable to sell them for one reason or another.

"You have to promise to do your best to kept them alive until I buy them."

The slave trader eyes shot open, the white of them being visible behind his round glasses. Raphtalia could just stare in surprise too, wondering what was this man thinking when saying that. The slave came out of his astonishment, talking again with some haste.

"Surely, Hero-sama must be jesting. It will be hard to kept them alive, and it will cost so much money..."

The man tried to explain but Ritsuka just walked to another of the cages, the one were a man with bunny ears and a broken arm was.

"I know that this is not an easy task, but you really owe us a big favor if you want us to keep quiet about your attempt to enslave me. That said, I believe this will be beneficial to you as well."

Ritsuka stuck his hand through the cage, trying to reach the person inside. The rabbit man looked uncertain but most than everything he looked resigned. He did not tried to move away from him nor tried to attack him. His only reaction was just the tiniest look of confusion in his eyes and the way his ears twitched a little. Softly, Ritsuka hand touched his broken arm.

" _ **Skill: First Aid.**_ "

He chanted and his hand emitted a warm, green light that moved to the man in front of him, wrapping itself around him. His broken arm shined with the same green light and readjusted itself little by little.

 _ ***Ding***_

With a sound similar to that of a little bell, the light disappeared and the arm was completely healed. More than that, the rabbit man looked a little more healthier than before.

"...Eh?"

The rabbit man released that exclamation, looking shocked and confused about what had just happened to him. With some fear and nervousness, he moved his arm little by little, hoping against hope that this was not a cruel illusion and that his arm, so long broken by his last Master, was really cured. When he felt non of the pain he had been force to accustom himself with, the rabbit man turned to look at the person in front of him, his eyes asking the question that was in his heart.

Why? Why did this person went out of his way to help someone like him?

His answer was only a smile, one that looked resigned yet at the same time was trying to give him courage.

"Just resist a little more."

Ritsuka said, before turning around, looking at each of the cages in that place. All the slaves eyes were on him, all of them confused and amazed with the miracle(magic) they have witnessed. Ritsuka made sure to watch every person in there, before saying again.

"Just resist a little more. Soon everything will be fine."

The slaves just looked at him, non of them saying anything, most of them not believing a single word of what this person was saying. How many times had life screw them? giving them hope and then crushing all they loved and lived for without a second though?

Even so, a little seed of doubt was planted in them at that moment, one that felt more like a cruel poison than a benevolent cure. Should they believe his words? Could they believe them?

And so, even against their wishes and past experiences, a little part of them began to hope for this little miracle.

Ritsuka knew this, of course, but there was not much that he could do at the moment to help all this people. He could only give them hope so they fight to live another day, while doing his best to help all of them even if he could only save one at a time.

To wait and hope. Such a cruel thing to do, but if even someone like him could cross through that kind of despair, he wanted to believe other people could do the same.

The slave trader had watched all this scene while feeling confused, but then shook his head and talked again.

"What do you meant that this will benefit me too, Hero-sama?"

He asked, looking at the now healed rabbit man, his price raising a lot in his mind.

"You could not sell the slaves here due to all of them having some kind of physical or mental problem, right? I'm thinking of buying them all. Of course, right now I do not have the money to do that, but if you kept them alive, I could purchase them one at time. Of course, you are free to raise their price to match whatever money you put in keeping them alive."

"Fujimaru-kun, are you sure about this?"

Da Vinci asked while looking a little exasperated. She understood the feeling her ex master has about trying to save all the people he could, but this was not a promise he could do lightly. They had just so much money right now and the next Wave was really close, so they needed to prepare many things before it began or they will be really in trouble.

On the other hand, even if they could purchase them all, this will only encourage the slave trader to find more slaves to sell, or to ask his acquaintances to give him the slaves they can't sell, and then soon there will be so much people they will need to save that there will be no end to it. Of course, that's without talking about the money needed to fulfill their most basic necessities, which will be a big amount.

In summary, even if she though his idea was noble, it was foolish nonetheless.

Ritsuka just smiled at her, feeling a little sheepish. He knew Da Vinci was lot smarter than he was, so if she was having doubts about this plan of him, then he should rethink the whole thing carefully. Even so, something inside him was telling him to do this, because this was the right thing to do.

"It's all right, Da Vinci-chan. I know it will be hard, but I really want to help all this people... Can I?"

He said softly at the end, like a little kid asking for some unreasonable request to his parents. Da Vinci just looked at him some seconds and then released a sigh.

'Well I guess he deserves to be a little selfish after everything he has done... But to think that he will only be selfish for the sake of others...'

Da Vinci knew it, of course, that his master was just that kind of person. Even so, she wondered not for the first time if this was Fujimaru Ritsuka true personality or if it was something created due to him being so close to many of the Heroes from Myths and Legends. Each Servant had his own unique personality, after all, and even if there were many Anti-Heroes in Chaldea, it was a fact that many Heroes had a noble and chivalrous disposition. People like Altria or Kintoki who will no hesitate to help a person in distress were always a good examples for him, but maybe too much of it was a problem in its own.

The little girl shook her head, there was no point in thinking about it. Her ex Master was an exception over exceptions after all. A mass of irregularities that accomplished sometime that should had been impossible in the first place. Trying to analyze him like any normal human or Magus will give her only headaches.

"If you are sure of this, then I guess its OK. Even so, Master-kun will have to work hard to give me my workshop!"

She finally said, accepting his decision. Fujimaru just nodded his head, happy that they had reached an accord. Turning to watch again the slave trader, the Shield Hero extended his open hand to him.

"Then, what do you say? Do we have a deal?"

The shopkeeper just looked at him while thinking hard about the pros and cons of this proposal, before nodding his head slowly.

"Fufufu~ To think I will find such an opportunity like this."

He said, looking amused about something. Yes, this could work, he though. It will cost him a little of money and he will have to believe in the good will of another person (something that he rarely do) but if everything went right, then he could sell all those slaves that he had already considered the same as lost money, gaining the favor of the Queen all the same.

"I believe we had a deal, Hero of the Shield-sama. I'm really happy to have you as my customer."

He smiled that wicked smile again and Ritsuka could only show a wry smile on his own.

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Da Vinci could not help but observe with interest the Ritual taking place in front of her.

The process to engrave the Slave Geass in the raccoon girl was, in Da Vinci worlds, something really close to the way the Command Seals were engraved in the Servants, yet at the same time it was very different.

The Command Seals were very powerful Orders that could be used only one time by a Master over a Servant he had a contract on. Due to its holy nature, they were really hard for the Servant to resist, impossible in some cases. Even so, it was the power of the Holy Grial and the fact that they were implanted in the Servant during the creation of their physical body that made the Command Seals so powerful.

In the other hand, it seemed like the slave ritual engraved Geass in the chest of the target, where it rooted itself to the heart, spine and nervous system. The Geass were really weak, so weak that a creature with a little of innate magical resistant could easily broke them. That said, they had the same particular nature of this world: they can grow stronger with the target, so it was really hard for the slave to resist an order no matter its level or magical power. Da Vinci was not sure how this worked, but she had the feeling that whoever created this ritual used the same theory that was behind the creation of the Hero System.

"Can you tell me how this ritual works?"

She had asked the slave trader, but he had refused completely, telling her that this was a family secret and that he will not reveal it even if it cost him his life, so Da Vinci could only bit her lips in frustration.

That said, the ritual had a lot of similarities with the Summoning Ritual of the Holy Grial. The circle where the girl, where Raphtalia was placed had the purpose of creating a path between her soul and the soul of her 'Master', who was identified by mixing his blood to the paint used to make the circle and the seal in Raphtalia chest. Then, the Slave Trader activated the circle with the help of a chant and the Geass implanted themselves in the target. Sadly, it looked like a really painfull process, but this could not be helped due to how much the Geass rooted themselves to the body. Finally, the link between Servant, no, between slave and Master was forged, giving Fujimaru the control over the Geass.

"Ahh... Ahh..."

The little girl collapsed over the circle, the strain of having the Geass implanted being too much to her frail body. Da Vinci moved close to her, caressing her head a little trying to ease her pain.

"Uh?"

Fujimaru then exclaimed, looking in front of him with some confusion in his face. His eyes were facing something invisible in front of him, something that Da Vinci deduced must be a info window telling him about his new status as a Master. Da Vinci wished to be able to watch that info too, but sadly the world did not recognize her as part of its system, so she will had to wait until Fujimaru could tell her was this new info was about.

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 _ **[You have obtained a slave.**_

 _ **Do you want to see all related information about it?**_

 _ **Yes/No]**_

Ritsuka looked at the window that had appeared in front of him. It had a lot of information about slaves and conditions that can be put over the slaves, but this was something that he skimmed over quickly due to something else having picked his interest.

 _ **[Do you want to set 'Slave 1' as a companion?**_

 _ **Yes/No]**_

One of the conditions said, so Ritsuka began to read all the information available about companions. That was a term he often heard the King and Mein said, but he thought it was only a word to call a party member without any deeper meaning. Now he was beginning to understand just how little information he had been really given about anything.

"Congratulations, Hero-sama. Now this slave if yours. Will you be so kind to complete your purchase?"

The slave trader said, apparently tired of waiting for the Shield Hero to finish whatever he was doing. Ritsuka closed the info window and pulled 35 silver coins from his bag, giving them to the shady man.

"You gave me 5 extra coins, Hero-sama."

The man said, confused about if this was intentional or not. Ritsuka just nodded his head, explaining them.

"Take them for all the trouble we caused you. Bedsides, there are some things that I will like to ask you, if you are all right with it."

"If this is about the Slave Ritual, then I'm afraid I will have to refuse it..."

"No, is not about that."

The Shield Hero said, much to Da Vinci disappointment.

"Then, how can I be of help to you, Hero-sama?"

Ritsuka opened the slave menu and change the name of 'Slave 1' to Raphtalia, then he set her as companion.

"Do you know how the Companion System of the Heroes works?"

He asked and even Ritsuka could tell that the shady man looked perplex about the question.

"I don't know all the details, but if I recall correctly, if one of the advantages any member of the Hero's Party posses. It allow the member to share and maximize the Experience obtained when defeating monsters. It's said that one of the biggest reasons for people joining a Hero's Party is the chance to grow stronger in a short period of time, regardless of how dangerous it is."

The man said, trying to remember all the knowledge he had about the subject. Ritsuka nodded, this much was explained in the info window he was watching right now.

"Can any person or creature can be set as a 'companion'?"

"I believe there are some exceptions, but I had heard than even horses can benefit from this system..."

Ritsuka tried to set Da Vinci as a companion too, but the system just showed an ' _ **Error: Undefined subject**_.' message.

"Is there a limit as to how many companions a Hero could have?"

"I do not think so. After all, all the other Heroes had around five companion each, I believe."

"I see. Then let me change the question a little. What about slaves? Can any person or creature can be made a 'slave'?"

Again, the shady man looked confused at the question, but responded nonetheless.

"As with the last question, there are some exceptions, but I believe that, with the right procedure, any living creature could be turned into a slave."

He said, looking a little proud about having the chance to boast about his profession. Ritskua nodded at this, a little idea forming in his head.

"Is something in your mind, Fujimaru-kun?"

Da Vinci asked, still kneeling close to Raphtalia, who was now sleeping in the floor due to exhaustion.

"Maybe?"

He responded, looking at her. This was just an idea, he had no enough information to prove it right, but at the same time there was nothing telling him he was wrong, so he decided to consult it with the genius girl.

"Da Vinci-chan."

He said, looking a little excited. Da Vinci just tilted her head a little, curiosity visible in her eyes. The Shield Hero moved close to her an put a hand in her shoulder, saying it loud and clear.

"Why don't you try and become my slave?"

That's how the slap came.

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"Seriously, Fujimaru-kun. You really need to think before saying whatever cross your mind. Your reputation is bad enough around the kingdom, you know?"

"I'm really sorry."

Around 10 minutes later, Fujimaru was kneeling in the Seiza position on the floor while Da Vinci was rubbing her temple, looking annoyed. It was not that she felt offended by the proposition nor she was feeling ashamed. She was, after all, the Genius inventor Leonardo Da Vinci in a borrowed body. Even if her heart right now was maidenly, she understood the desires of men better than most people! She could attest that the Shield Hero had not unsavory intentions when he asked for her to be his slave.

That said, it does not changed the fact that Da Vinci at that very moment had the body of a really young girl and that the way he asked it was a little too happy, making her shiver and fear for her safety for a moment!

Maybe her Master really had spent too much time around certain Servants that he should have been better not to know.

"So? What was your reason for asking such a foolish thing?"

Da Vinci asked, making sure all the people around her could hear the conversation. All the good will Fujimaru had gained with the slaves around had now plummeted a lot so it was better is they cleared the misunderstanding fast.

"Well, you know how, no matter what you do your level did not raise up?"

He said and Da Vinci just nodded. The shady man looked puzzled about this, but decided to remain silent, half amused and half intrigued about the situation.

"I just discovered that I can set some people as my Companion. I tried it with Raphtalia-chan and it worked, but when I tried it With Da Vinci-chan, an error message showed up."

Ritsuka explained and Da Vinci just nodded, understanding the rest.

"So you though that maybe if we do it in a round about way and I become your slave first then maybe the System could identify me?"

The Shield Hero nodded, happy that his friend could understand his reason so easily. Da Vinci just remained silent while thinking about it. It could work. After all, the reason she could not level up was due to her being a foreign entity to that world. If she forced her way into the System in some way, then maybe that restriction will be finally removed.

There was the fact that she also felt really curious about the inner workings of the slave ritual that she had witnessed, so maybe if she experienced the Geass upon herself she will be able to understand more about it.

Eh? Fearing about allowing Fujimaru to have so much control over her? Command Seals were more scary in that sense yet Fujimaru never misused them, so she had nothing to fear about just this much.

"I understand. I think it's worth the try."

Da Vinci finally said, and Ritsuka just nodded, turning around to where the slave trader was.

"How much will you charge us to engrave the seal in her?"

"Well, if its only the seal, I will charge you 5 silver coins only."

The man said and after some quick math to remember how much money he had left, the Shield Hero nodded his head.

"Please do it, then."

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"Uuh... It really hurts a lot..."

Da Vinci moaned with some tears in the corner of her eyes. The girl rearranged her clothes while looking how the slave seal shined dimly over her chest. Once the glow dispersed completely, she turned around to watch her, now again, Master. Ritsuka just nodded, opening the slave menu and watching Da Vinci information.

 _ **[Leonardo Da Vinci**_

 _ **Female(?): 14 years old(?)**_

 _ **Slave LV: 1**_

 _ **Caster LV: 1**_

 ** _Equipment_** _ **: Da Vinci Fashionable Armor.**_

 _ **Strength: E**_

 _ **Endurance: E**_

 _ **Agility: D+**_

 _ **Magic: B++**_

 _ **Luck: B**_

 _ **Noble Phantasm:**_ _ **Uomo Universale (The Universal Man) Rank: A**_

 ** _Possessions_** _ **: Iron Dagger (Not equipped)**_

 _ **Skills: Natural Born Genius EX 1/10 Territory Creation B+++ (Passive) Item Construction B+++ (Passive)**_

 _ **Magic: None]**_

'Woah, she was not joking when she said she had to abandon a good portion of her Spirit Origin. It was almost a miracle that she could still exist with how little she had right now.'

He though, looking how diminished her stats were from what he could recall. It was even lower than before they make a contract and began to train together to strength her to her full potential. Letting those thoughts aside, he then changed her name form 'Slave 2' to 'Da Vinci-chan and tried to set her as companion.

"Oh! It worked!"

Ritsuka exclaimed, his right hand involuntarily making a victory fist. Da Vinci just smiled at the success of their plan and then tried to call for the info window to see her own stats.

"Eh~? Nothing appears?"

She exclaimed, feeling disappointed, but the slave trader came to their rescue.

"Maybe if Hero-sama modify the settings to allow his party members to see all the information?"

He suggested. Normally, he would not recommend any Master to give so much freedom to their slaves, but this was a very rare exception so he decided to not to think to hard about it. Idly he wondered if this was due to Fujimaru being a chosen Hero or if it was due to his carefree personality, but decided that, as long as he get his money, then it don't really mattered.

"Oh, it appeared now!"

Da Vinci exclaimed once Ritsuka adjusted the settings and the info window finally appeared in front of her. She then began to try many things to see just how much information she was able to obtain from it.

"Then, I believe this end our business for the moment. Hero-sama."

The slave trader said, receiving now 20 silver coins, the young Hero once again putting a little extra for him to take, something that the slave trader could appreciate. Even so, as interesting as his encounter with the Shield Hero resulted, the slave trader had others things to do, so he wanted to make sure everything was in order before going to the rest of his work scheduled for the day.

Or better say, the rest of his work for the night. Alas, being a business man was not an easy job and many times he found himself overworking to the point of near collapse. Such a hard worker he was.

Fujimaru just nodded his head, taking the still sleeping Raphtalia with him and carrying her in his back.

"I will try and come again soon. Maybe after the next Wave if over I can finally settle myself and began to gather more companions."

"I hope you the best of luck, Hero-sama. You have proved to be an interesting customer."

The man said, looking sincere this time. Saying his good byes, the now again Master and his two companions began to walk in the lonely streets of that fortress city. They had been out for a lot of time and Fou must be feeling impatient by now after having been left alone for so long.

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She was dreaming.

It was curious how she was so certain about it. Maybe it was due to how different this dream was from her usual ones, or maybe it was due to how foreign the images of the dream were to her that she became aware this world was something 'impossible', and her mind decided that it could only be a dream.

Whatever the reason, she was now dreaming of a world without boundaries, without end.

In front of her was a person, a young man of black hair and soft smile. He was an average person, she had such feeling. That this man was someone you could find almost everywhere, even if she had never meet one like him before. There was nothing special about his physique, nothing special about his intelligence, even his aptitude was the habitual for the average people of his country.

Yes, he was in every sense just an average human being.

Yet, he was assigned with an absurd mission, an almost impossible Order.

The order to save the world, to save humanity from demise.

He was afraid, of course he was, because the enemies he had to fight were of such power and skill that just being in their presence was enough to make a simple man faint. Even so, he pushed forwards.

He was angry, of course he was, because of the many injustices and atrocities he was forced to face. Forced to watch and regret. Even so, he pushed forwards.

He was sad, of course he was, because he had to lose so many precious things, so many precious friends. Even if there were many happy meetings, in the end there were just as many sad farewells. Even so, he pushed forwards.

Why? She wondered. What reason a person like him could have to kept pushing himself far beyond the limits of his body, beyond the limits of his soul.

The answer was something simple, really. So simple it felt it should be foolish to ask the question.

It because he wanted to live, but more than everything else, he wanted to live together with all his precious family and friends. Such a simple reason, such a childish wish was enough to push him beyond what even the Gods though was possible for any human to reach.

And so, he kept wishing for it, wishing for a time, wishing for a place or even just for a ephemeral dream where all of them could live and laugh together.

Yes, for a place like that one, where, for as little as a year, many people gathered and formed a big, happy family.

In her sleep, the girl cried many tears, feeling envy for what they have and she could not have again, and sadness for what she had forever lost.

Even so, having watched such scene, she could not help but raise her hand, trying to reach that place too, wishing to find that place where all her precious people could be reunited again, even if it was only a impossible dream.

End Of chapter 05.

Next Chapter Title: Rise.

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Here it is! A lot shorter than what I desired it to be, but I guess it could not be helped. This chapter was really, reaaaaaally hard for me to write. I had in my mind what I wanted to show, but no matter how I write it it just wont come out as I desired, so after trying many things I decided to write it in Spanish first and once I was satisfied with a portion of it I translated it to English and began to put all the parts together. This is mostly the reason for the delay and for the chapter to have so many scene changes. Also, expect a lot of mistakes! Maybe more than the previous chapters!

I apologize for how the chapter resulted, but again, I just could not write what was in my mind no matter what I tried.

That said, I will put this fic in a semi-hiatus, but don't worry, this just mean that it will be one chapter each two weeks instead of one chapter a week until I finished some things first. What things? Well, sit down that here comes the list:

First I will try and fix all the errors in the previous chapters. For this I will write the fic in Spanish and once I'm satisfied with the result, translate it to English little by little and replace the chapters. I doubt there will be any major change, but if I decided to change something, I will put a note at the beginning of the chapter.

'Why not give a chance to a Beta Tester then? Some people had offered themselves, right?'

Well, this is a little embarrassing to say, but I don't want to have a Beta because I know myself all to well. I know the moment delegate even the tiniest of my... could we call it work? Well, once I delegate a task to someone I began to relax a little too much and my work speed began to suffer for it until I delayed things even for months, so I decided to do things as fast as I can and with the best quality I could provide so to not allow myself to grow complacent and began to fall behind my own schedules (Even now I'm falling a lot behind, what with me being unable to respond all the reviews nor releasing the chapters in time).

And that's it. You can complaint now! *Hides under the bed*.

Even so, like I said, I will try to raise the quality of the fic by my own way by writing all in Spanish and them translating it to English (something that I should had done from the very beginning now that I think about it), so yorokobe, Spanish speakers!

Second, I had been receiving a lot of feedback for my game (mostly of my family and friends, but eh, something is something) so I can now began to fix all the bugs it have (It have a lot of them, figures!). If you have the game, feel free to send me your opinion of it in my fanfiction forum:

myforums/TheRebirth/6682642/

There is a post dedicated to the game there.

If you don't have it, please don't try to download it right now because I will be fixing bugs and probably will remove the link and replace it with the new version soon, so wait a little more, please!

What more? Umm... I'm not sure, its 2 AM and I'm feeling really sleepy, so forgive me if I forgot to say anything! I will try to put the answers to the review of the last two chapter tomorrow night!

Till the next time!


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